Contagion
by L.Lawliet13
Summary: Zombies roam the streets and only a few survivors remain, banding together seems to be the only way to survive, but when they discover that someone is playing with them things turn dire, and their only hope of survival is to make a cure, and when a traitor inflitrates their group things go from bad to worse, after all, when the world ends all they have left is eachother.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, I've been hit with the Zombie bug! This is my first attempt at a horror/zombie type story so please be kind and review :)**

**Chapter One: Contagion:**

Infection has been controlled by medication for hundreds of years - viruses, and disease almost eradicated by the scientific growth of the period; medical improvement and a better understanding of how contamination of biochemical illness and viral mutation work.

Yet in the end, it was because of the scientific development that dead came back to life as a plague of rotting, bleeding, flesh-eating monsters. Creatures which do not need to sleep, and do not need to rest and do not fear; creatures which have only one desire in their unnaturally restored lives: to _feed_.

With this, the Infected were born, and the end of humanity came to be save for small groups of survivors, always on the run; always hiding; always fearing for the next sweep of death and infection which would come their way.

Candles littered the table top, electric having long since faded as a distant memory since the beginning of the infection; six people sat around the table as a seventh handed out bowls of tomato and basil pasta before sitting among them; there was silence as the group broke bread and hungrily devoured the simple yet delectable meal before them, sharing furtive glances and understanding looks. Mealtimes were always the same, ever since their eighth comrade had disappeared while collecting firewood one night.

A young man with electric blue hair and azure eyes glanced at the empty chair beside him, empty since his friend's disappearance; he let out a sigh and swallowed a mouthful of food. He looked towards the head of the table where the man who had taken the position of their leader since they had melded into their small eight man cell.

"Aizen, how long do you think we can stay here for before we have to move on?" he asked quietly, knowing that it was a touchy subject for all of them.

The brunet looked up from his meal and looked considerate for a moment, "We shouldn't linger for too long, yet I think we should have a few more days before we have to move on." He responded, ensuring that there were no complaints before he returned to his pasta.

The blue haired male nodded once before he sighed, "And where will we go next?"

"I don't know Grimmjow," he answered without looking up, "I have been considering the idea of moving towards the city; we need to gather news of some kind and we won't find it all the way out here in the countryside."

Icy silence followed his statement before a black haired young man with bone white skin spoke, "I don't wish to seem ungrateful for the leadership you have shown; you have thus far kept us all safe with the exception of our missing ally, however, we all know that the cities are likely to be plagued with the Infected."

The brunet sighed and set down his fork, interlocking his fingers, "I am aware of that fact, and I know that it will be a highly dangerous task, however, we do need news. There is a chance that the infection might have died out, or that help might be at hand. Even more, there may be other survivors. Ulquiorra, I understand your concerns, and if you are all dead set against going into the city then of course, we won't go."

"I think we should have a final scout around the area for..." Grimmjow glanced at the empty seat beside him and faltered, "... Just one more look around..."

"Grimmjow," Aizen began gently, "W e all know... Ichigo went missing several nights ago, it is... Extremely unlikely that he is still alive, and if he is alive, it will be as an Infected."

The blue haired male tensed slightly and gritted his teeth, "We don't know that though! He could still be alive! He could be hiding somewhere for us to find him! We have to-"

Stop it Grimm." A petite woman said quietly from the seat opposite the blue haired man.

"R-Rukia..." he breathed and gritted his teeth, "Please don't tell me you've given up on him as well..."

"Of course not." She snapped, her large purple eyes narrowing slightly, "I will never give up on the hope I have that Ichigo is alive and well, he is my best friend; we were together since before the Infected arrived... Renji too."

Grimmjow looked at her, his cobalt eyes flicking to the redhead beside her before he hung his head, "I... I know... I'm sorry I guess I don't want to leave a man behind."

"That is your army training Grimmjow," Aizen sighed, "And it is alright, we all understand, Ichigo was a valued member of this group; he was a good friend to all of us. We will scout one more time for him in the morning, but if we do not find a trace of him then we do not do it again. Is that fair enough?"

His eyes lit up slightly and he nodded, "Yes, thanks." He smiled weakly before returning to his food, finishing his bowl several minutes later.

_**Knock. Knock. Knock.**_

Everyone froze in their seats, breath hitching, hearts founding; ears throbbing from the blood pulsing around their bodies. Slowly, the seven survivors looked around in the direction on the boarded up door, situated in the kitchen.

_**Knock. Knock. Knock.**_

They flinched at the repeated sound, fear palpitating through them; making their hearts skip a beat.

"I will go." Grimmjow said quietly, gradually getting to his feet, moving in complete silence as he picked up his handgun from under the table where he had put it so he could eat.

"I will accompany you." The black haired man named Ulquiorra rose to his feet as well, removing a dark green crossbow from his chair before the two men stalked from the dining room and into the kitchenette.

The blue haired male set his handgun on the counter and picked up a crowbar, prying the boards away from the door, his heart in his mouth and the weight of the others lives on his shoulders. Licking his lips, he hesitated for a moment and pulled away the final piece of thick wood; holding his breath and unbolted the door and gradually pulled it open.

He swallowed hard and glanced around, momentarily blinded by the afternoon sunlight, he peeked around and faltered as he saw no one around in the farm courtyard, "Whoever it was seems to have gone." He announced as he looked at Ulquiorra and pushed the door shut with a relieved sigh.

The black haired, green eyed male nodded and relaxed slightly, lowering his crossbow as he looked towards the dining room, "We can't see anyone around." He called through before looking back, "SHIT! Grimmjow!"

The blue haired man's head snapped around as Ulquiorra pointed, and his eyes widened at the sudden appearance of one of _them_ right in front of him, holding the door open with bloodied, gnawed hands.

"SHIT!" Grimmjow swore loudly and reached for his handgun, gasping as his wrist was grabbed by the Infected and dragged outside, "SHIT!" he roared, wrestling against its inhuman strength.

"Grimmjow!" Ulquiorra lifted his crossbow, having been momentarily froze by shock, and he pulled the trigger and watched the arrow spear the Infected's shoulder, "God damnit!"

His blood was rushing through his veins with a mixture of adrenaline as he was thrown to the floor and set upon by the Infected former human again; his face scraped by the end of the arrow which had embedded in its shoulder as he reached up and shoved hard, forcing it to back off, holding it as far away from his neck or any part of his body as he could.

He reached out with one hand, feeling around the ground desperately for something to fight back with, but unable to find anything he let out a roar as the arm which had been holding the monster at bay was snapped to the side and the creature descended on his exposed bicep, tearing through the muscle with animalistic strength with already bloodied teeth and lips.

An arrow whistled through the air, lancing clean through the head of the Infected; the creature's jaw slacken and released Grimmjow, who kicked it away from him and staggered to his feet, holding his arm in devastation.

"Grimmjow!" Ulquiorra ran out of the house and grabbed the blue haired man, ignoring the blood seeping down his arm as he saw a group of seven or eight more Infected running down the path towards them, "Shit!" he hauled the man into the house and slammed the door shut, bolting it and hammering the barricade back up as fast as he could while Grimmjow sank into a kitchen chair and started rocking.

The others appeared at the dining room door, all armed and ready to fight whatever came next.

"How many Ulquiorra?" Aizen asked as he flicked the safety off the ranged rifle in his hands.

"Seven or eight coming up the path. A further larger group on the horizon." He responded; he finished boarding up the door before he hurried over to Grimmjow and yanked his hand away from his wound, "Shit... He's been bitten."

"What?" Aizen swept around the island counter in the middle of the room and crouched in front of Grimmjow who had gone pale from nausea, "Damnit... Grimmjow look at me."

When the blue haired man's eyes flicked to Aizen's they were calm and much unlike the shining golden eyes of the hunger driven monsters on their doorstep. Aizen gripped his chin a little roughly and glowered into his eyes, looking for any sign of immediate change.

"He isn't changing straight away..." he murmured after a moment, his head snapping around as there was an abrupt pounding of hands on the door, "He must have some level of minor immunity to the infection; we take him with us."

"Yes, sir." Ulquiorra moved forwards and hefted Grimmjow to his feet, pulling his good arm around his shoulders.

Aizen stood up again and lifted his rifle, training it on the door as one of the wooden beams shattered under the force of the battering on the other side, "Szayel, see if you can bandage the injury as we move, the last thing we need is for the scent of his blood to keep them on our train."

"Very well!" the flamboyant pink haired man who had been stood at the back of the group of seven scurried forward and pulled a wrap of bandages from the military utility belt around his waist.

They moved as a unit, slowly backing away from the kitchen as loud moans and snarls rampantly leapt through the cracks to their oversensitive and paranoid ears. They retreated into the hallway, intending to escape through the front door while the Infected lunged at the back one.

But as the banging suddenly emanated from behind them, they turned and realised that the house which had protected them for months, had finally turned into a war zone.

"Get upstairs!" Aizen ordered, "Once they break through the barricades we will not have much time. Get moving!"

Following his instructions they ran up the staircase two by two; Aizen brought up the rear of the group, keeping his rifle trained should the Infected break through without warning. The shattering of glass and wood alerted him that they had done so, and he instantly tensed, raising the scope to his eye to attain a better chance of taking them out in one hit.

His breath hitched as they appeared at the bottom of the stairs and began clambering up towards them; he opened fire, taking the first three out in quick succession before he nearly fell, steadied by the firm grip of Renji's hand who had come back down to assist him.

"Don't get overwhelmed." The redhead murmured, holding up a shotgun before he squeezed the trigger and blew the head clean off one of the moving corpses before them.

"Thanks." The brunet murmured as he regained his composure and joined him in shooting down their enemy as they moved after the rest of their group.

As they reached the landing, Renji glanced around and saw their friends opening the window at the end of the landing; there was a porch way just under the window that they could use to climb down to the ground below and maybe, just maybe they could escape.

Ulquiorra took Grimmjow out of the window first, half throwing the blue haired man to the ground before following himself; Szayel went next followed by Rukia and her older brother who was also with them, Byakuya.

"It's just us!" Renji yelled, hitting an Infected in the face with the butt of his gun as he got too close.

"We need to give them a few minutes to get safely away before we follow!" Aizen responded over the sound of his firing weapon, "You get going if it gets too much!"

"I ain't leaving you on your own!" the redhead snapped, shooting another Infected, "You're the leader of this troop; we'd all be dead by now if you hadn't assumed that role!"

"I appreciate your words Renji... But perhaps save them for a time when I can enjoy them." The man ground out as they slowly backed down the landing, shooting repeatedly at the growing number of rotting, stinking flesh-hungry un-dead.

"Of course." The redhead responded as he swiftly reloaded his shotgun and restarted his assault.

Aizen stole a quick glance out of the window, seeing the others had made it out of the yard but were being chased by a smaller group of Infected. Szayel and Rukia's brother were holding them off as they ran backwards, sticking with the group but keeping them shielded at the same time.

The brunet looked forwards again in time to see one of the Infected lunging for his legs; he leapt back and fell, holding the rifle out and pulling the trigger; his eyes widening as the gun refused to fire. He hadn't reloaded it.

"Shit." He breathed and kicked out instead, slamming the heel of his boot into the creature's face, before he fumbled and shoved magazines into the empty gun, he aimed and fired. Scrambling to his feet as the Infected fell to the floor dead, "Get ready to jump Renji!" he called, slowly pulling a stick of dynamite from the pocket of his rucksack.

He watched as the redhead and turned from the Infected and ran towards the window and everything seemed to slow down, his chestnut eyes remained fixed on the horde which was lumbering towards them, restricted by the slim width of the corridor and their massing numbers.

He pulled a match from his pocket and struck it down the side of his bullet proof jacket, lighting it before he held the flame to the fuse wire and ignited it. He glanced back and watched as Renji slipped under the open window and jumped down onto the porch; he smirked as he looked back at the group of corpses and hurled the stick into their midst before he turned and sprinted, diving out of the window as well; he grabbed Renji's arm and they jumped down to the ground below, not sparing a backwards glance as they raced after their group of friends, breath coming in gasps and pants.

Neither of them looking back as there was a sudden and deafening explosion from the house; they cringed as dismembered corpse parts dropped down around them, scattered by the force of the detonation.

Spattered with blood and weary from their combat, Aizen and Renji shot after the others, as they caught up they assisted in shooting down the last of the horde which had been in pursuit.

They jumped over the limp bodies of the Infected they had taken out and finally caught up to their other comrades.

"How is Grimmjow?!" Aizen asked urgently as he ran alongside Ulquiorra.

"Quiet," the black haired male responded, "But still showing minimal signs of Infection at the moment."

"Well that is something at least..." the brunet murmured, "Has he spoken?"

"No."

"Makes a change." He sighed before glancing back at the house which was in ruins, "We should get as far away as we can before more Infected are drawn by the sound of the explosion. The last thing we need is to be set upon a second time."

Quietly nodding in agreement, the group set off down the riverside which ran past the house they had been hiding in; they would follow it until they came to another residence which they were certain they could remain safe in for a short amount of time to heal Grimmjow.

In their haste, no one saw a pair of bloodthirsty golden eyes spying them from inside the trees which were on the other side of the river bank.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the wonderful response there has been for this story, I apologise for not updating for so long but life has been chaotic. Among other responsibilities several family members have had to have medical procedures and it has been stressful, hopefully things will pick up soon and I will be able to begin updating regularly again. Thank you for your patience, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter Two: Viral:**

The scraping of fingernails against stainless steel echoed through the sterile concrete corridors and infiltrated the electronically operated doors into the laboratory rooms beyond, riling the occupants and exhuming growls and low grunts from the mindlessly hungering Infected.

The scraping stopped as the man causing the sound came to a halt outside of one of the rooms; manic golden eyes glinted as he gazed through the spy hole with a hint of admiration and clinically fed lust. With a few careless and practiced taps of the coded machine beside the door and the stainless steel passage way whirred and ground open.

Inside the room was brightly lit, blindingly so for anyone unused to such brightness and the occupant of the room was very unused to it. Eyes squinted and he turned his head from side to side in aggravation, discomfort, and restlessness.

The golden eyed man walked over slowly and ran a long, talon-like blue nail down the side of his experiment's face, feeling a slight fever and beads of sweat on the attractively tanned skin. A crazed; wide smile appeared and his unappealingly yellowed teeth were revealed as his eyes lit up with approval, he scanned the monitors on the other side of the bed and checked the various canular drains and sticky pads which connected his experiment to the monitors.

He was reacting well to exposure to the virus. 96 hours into exposure, with steadily increasing doses of the virus and he was showing less than a 10% reaction; compared to the other test subjects this one was a gem among concrete slabs.

The subject's breathing was normal, his heart rate and pulse rate were only minorly elevated (most likely due to the stress of the experiment, he noted); furthermore, and to the golden eyed man's great excitement, the subject's brain functions were normal and there was understanding in his eyes, which meant, most definitely, that the virus was not affecting his ability to reason. The subject's temperature increase was likely to be due to the air conditioning which had broken down three hours previously, and his skin was slightly clammy to the touch, which was to be expected considering.

Dragging painted white fingers over his chin, the golden eyed man let out a breath and swept towards the monitors; double checking them before he leaned down and replaced the empty syringe with one full of poppy red liquid.

"Let us increase the dosage to twenty-five millilitres, shall we?" he asked, grin never fading as he restarted the intravenous drip, "And see whether or not this delicious experiment can continue to higher plains."

With light steps and a very minor skip, the golden eyed man retreated from the room once again, turning only to press a button on the lock machine; watching as the metal doors ground shut once more. And then, he continued down the harsh corridor, ignoring the cries; the groans; the moaning and the unearthly gargles which were coming from the other rooms.

Miles away, across the deserted and virus afflicted country-side, as the night drew on, Aizen and his band of survivors had arrived at a large and abandoned warehouse. It had secure doors which could easily be barricaded and the only windows were up on the second floor, too high for the Infected to climb to.

The brunet glanced behind them as they entered the warehouse and held a torch in his left hand while he sported a revolver in his right hand, "Szayel; Renji, search to the back of the warehouse, and check the second floor. I want to make sure we aren't about to lock ourselves in with anything foul."

"Yes, sir." The two answered, both flicking on their own torches and cautiously walking around the perimeter of the building.

"Rukia; Byakuya, do a sweep of the outside area before you take sniper positions up on that second floor." He told them.

"Yes, sir." The small girl replied as her brother merely inclined his head before they both headed back out of the warehouse.

Aizen watched as Ulquiorra escorted Grimmjow into the warehouse and helped him sit on a hay bale. The brunet strode over confidently and crouched down in front of the blue haired male, "How is he, Ulquiorra?" he asked.

"His temperature is steady; Mr Granz has been monitoring his blood pressure, pulse rate, and heart rate as we travelled and he said that so far they are stable. But there is no knowing how long that could last for-"

"In other words, I'm fine at the moment but in the long run I am totally fucked up." The blue haired man rumbled suddenly, taking Aizen by surprise.

"Ah, he speaks at last," the brunet smiled slightly, "You've been very quiet Grimmjow. I was concerned."

Azure eyes flicked to chocolate ones, "I've still got some life in me at the moment. Don't start digging a hole in the ground just yet."

"That's the Grimmjow I know and scold."

He stood up again and clapped the blue haired man on the back before he nodded to Ulquiorra and finally put his revolver away. Glancing around he saw Renji lighting up a couple of large candles so that they could see where they were walking without using up the torch batteries.

"Aizen," Szayel's voice startled him and he spun around to face the pink haired male who had appeared behind him.

"Yes, Szayel?" he replied.

"We found something and, I think you should come and see it." He replied, looking a little green around the gills.

"Of course, lead the way."

The pink haired male gulped and turned, leading him towards the back of the warehouse where there was a small side room; the door was ajar from where it had been checked for signs of Infected but the most disturbingly noticeable thing was a the stench which was leaking from the open space.

Aizen covered his mouth and nose with his hand and winced slightly at the nostril burning odour; Szayel looked ready to pass out as he stepped forwards and slowly pushed the door open fully. The two recoiled instantly at the site of rot eaten flesh, blackened by age and decomposed by the temperature and moisture of the small cupboard; there was an army of meat flies buzzing loudly above the din of the preparation going on in the forefront of the warehouse as they feasted on the decaying corpse which was slumped in the cupboard.

"What... The hell..." the brunet rasped, snapping the door shut again.

"I noted a definite bullet hole in the corpse's left temple," the usually flamboyant male told him, nudging his glasses up his nose, "It would appear that he, or indeed she as there is far too little of the corpse left to identify gender, decided suicide would be far better than facing the hordes of Infected."

The brunet nodded slowly, "I would have to agree with your diagnoses. However we can't simply leave him, or her, in there to continue rotting; it isn't humane. And our humanity is one of the only things still separating us from the Infected."

"Well... Good luck with that. I don't have the stomach to move him, or her." Szayel held his hands up and stepped away.

"Indeed, however, Ulquiorra and Grimmjow both have strong stomachs and I believe it would do the latter good to have his mind taken off his recent injury: delegate duties Szayel." He patted the man's arm before he walked off.

"With pleasure." The pink haired male grinned in malevolence and half danced off to tell the two of their brand new job with zest.

It was a good hour later when they had finally disposed of the rotted corpse in the back room and finished preparing for the small hours of night which were left. Finally ready, Aizen and Renji slid the doors shut, bringing down the blockade, and completing the sealing of their new and temporary safe haven.

Sitting among the cluster of candles which had been lit, the group once again sat down to eat. This time a small, homely stomach filler as they had little time and were not yet brave enough to light a full fire to cook over after the attack on the cottage.

"Do you think that," Grimmjow began quietly, "Do you think that there is any chance of making a cure?"

"I'm not sure-"

"We shouldn't get our hopes up about it when-"

"I don't think so I mean-"

"Of course there is," Szayel raised his voice above the mottled answers of their fellow group members as his golden irises fixed upon the cobalt ones of the loud mouthed blue haired male, "It is merely a matter of time, the correct resources and a science laboratory in which to work. Grimmjow, in science there is no _chance_: there is fact, and there is creation. For hundreds of years there has been disease and there has been science to provide a cure for it."

He looked back at the pink haired scientist/doctor-figure, "And what resources would someone as intelligent as... Let's say, you, need to synthesise a cure, Szayel?"

A ring of laughter escaped the other, "Flattery will get you _everywhere_ Grimmjow Jaegerjaques," he flicked his hair over his shoulder, "For one such as me, where perfect reigns supreme, I would require a laboratory before I even considered attempting to synthesise a cure."

"Answer the man Szayel." Aizen murmured from the other side of the fire, not raising his gaze from the can of beans he was devouring elegantly.

Sighing, he nodded once, "For one I would require the living body, and believe me when I say that I use the term scarcely, of one of the Infected; I would need a sample of the original virus as well as the DNA of someone who is immune to infection. The latter of which will be almost impossible to find. However those are the most important three resources I would require. There are of course many other things as well that I would require."

Aizen raised his gaze slowly, and only for a moment as Szayel spoke; his former thoughts gradually coming to be confirmed as the scientist unravelled much of his knowledge to them. He lowered his eyes again and finished his can, setting it aside before he stood up.

"We will have to leave early in the morning to make a start towards the city; if luck is with us we may be able to commandeer a vehicle of some kind, however we cannot assume as such. I am retiring for the evening. I suggest you do not remain out of bed for much longer yourselves. You know the rota for the first watch." He inclined his head politely before he headed into the shadows and mounted a pile of bales, using his bag as a pillow behind his head he reclined and rested his hands on his stomach, wondering quietly to himself whether or not their former eighth comrade was still alive. Ichigo was strong, he was skilled and brave; his desire to protect others would eventually be his downfall but it was difficult to imagine that he would simply be carried away without a word of cry for help.

Closing his eyes, Aizen resided himself not to consider the fate of the feisty orange haired young man who had so captivated his attention. Ichigo was the reason that he was still alive to lead the group of survivors; the young man had rescued him. When hope had been lost and his life on the brink of its very end, Ichigo had appeared like an angel on a mission.

_Formerly the head of a large pharmaceutical company, Aizen Sousuke was retreating down the long hallway; throwing down his empty revolver and watching as the large horde of people who had formerly worked for him. Now they were shambling, stinky; bloodied corpses, cold to the touch, and hungering for his flesh._

"_I knew I shouldn't have given any of you a bonus this year. You bunch of ungrateful, lunatic, flesh-eating... Bastards..." he paused and gulped as his back hit the door to his office._

_The cluster of corpses closest to the front began to shamble faster as it became clear that their prey was trapped, arms reaching out; mouths stretching open with fresh blood dripping down their fronts in torrents; wild golden eyes staring lifelessly at the food source. Aizen swallowed hard and resolved himself to go out fighting, he stepped forwards and raised his fists, knowing full well that they would not get him far._

_It was in that moment, when all hope faded and his death seemed imminent that something appeared to distract a large huddle of the dead corpses; the brunet's gaze was drawn by a looming shadow which had formed on the floor to ceiling window half way down the hall way from his location._

_A crack, a shatter and the sound of flying bullets whistling through the air broke the melancholy of groaning and moaning from the undead. A flash of orange drew his sights and he watched a lone figure battling through the horde towards his location, leaving none 'alive' in his wake._

_Corpses fell under the wrath of his skilled and mysterious saviour, and before long, Aizen came face to face with the orange haired man who had appeared in the nick of time. He was covered in gore and coagulated blood; and was reloading the two sawn off shotguns he had wielded to such effect before._

"_Unless you wanna die here I suggest we move quickly." His saviour told him, his voice surprisingly warm despite the manner of their meeting._

"_Where are we going?" Aizen asked as he hastily followed back down the hallway, away from his office and through the piled up corpses around them, "And what the hell are these things?!"_

"_Ever watched horror movies?" he asked, "These are your classic undead zombies."_

_The brunet gawped slightly, "Zombies? How?! And where are we going? There were loads more of these things on the lower levels..."_

_The orange haired male stopped abruptly and gripped the front of his shirt, "Pin back your lugholes and listen good, 'cuz I am only gonna to tell you this once. We don't have time to stand around chatting so I'm also gonna make it short and sweet," he raised an eyebrow, "All I know is that the dead are coming back to life, they are devouring flesh and they will kill their friends and relatives with no differentiation between the two. The most effective way to kill the bastards is to shoot them in the head or take the head clean off. Now, I am trying to escape the worst of this infection before I get killed, and I am doing so with three friends one of whom is injured. I decided to come here, considering that this is a major pharmaceutical company to get some medical supplies when I happened to see you running through that window. Now I am going to rescue you and get the hell out of this place. And, as for where we are going... My friends are waiting on the roof with a helicopter. Now, are you done asking questions?"_

_Aizen stared for a moment, not overly used to being addressed in such a demeaning manner, "I have one more question." He said calmly, "Can I use one of your guns? Mine ran out."_

"_Sure." He handed over one of the shotguns and pulled out a revolver instead before they began running for the stair case._

_It didn't take long for them to locate a sufficient amount of medical surplus and before long they were already heading back towards the roof. They encountered several groups of the undead on the way but easily took care of them. Upon reaching the roof, Aizen saw a special Army helicopter ready and waiting for them; the two of them ran towards it, both glancing back as they heard the door slam open for a second time, releasing another swarm of undead creatures which had followed their scent from the lower levels of the building._

_The orange haired young man grabbed Aizen's jacket and forced him to bend over as someone opened fire from the machine gun which was fitted in the helicopter. They got aboard their ticket out and assisted in shooting down the creatures that were hurrying towards them._

_It took only a moment before they were rising into the air, safe from the arms of the flesh-eaters; everyone relaxed slightly. Aizen slumped in one of the seats, hardly believing that he had been rescued at all, let along that they had escaped unscathed._

_He looked at the orange haired young man who was bandaging the leg of a petite woman with black hair and steely grey eyes. Swallowing his usually overinflated pride he cleared his throat, "Allow me to do that. I am medically trained." The brunet moved closer and took over from his saviour, "Thanks for picking me up like that. I know it probably endangered you more than simply finding these supplies."_

"_Don't mention it." He replied, grabbing a bottle of water and drinking from it, "Humanity is all we have left now. It won't take long for this infection to spread."_

"_You sound like you know a lot about it." He commented._

"_Not really, it is just logic." The younger man shrugged, "I'm Ichigo by the way; that's Rukia you are seeing to. Renji's on the machine gun and our pilot is Byakuya; Rukia's brother."_

_Aizen looked at them in turn as they were introduced, "Pleasure to meet you all. I am Aizen Sousuke, of Las Noches Pharmaceuticals." He responded._

"_I think everyone knows who you are," Ichigo smirked, "Your medical company is the largest in the country."_

"_Ah of course, not that that is going to be of much importance any longer, not if what you say is true and the world is coming to an abrupt end." He sighed, "How strange it seems that we should live to see such times."_

"_Time has nothing to do with it. It's scientific advancement that has put us in this situation." Rukia said quietly as she inspected the work he had done on her leg._

"_More than likely." The brunet agreed, "Where do we go from here, if I may ask?"_

"_I don't know," Ichigo sighed, "Ideally we need to restock on weaponry; if this infection spreads we are going to need to arm ourselves against them thoroughly. But I think we should also do a sweep of the city to see if there are any other survivors, but then... I don't want to risk my friend's lives." He sighed again and rubbed his forehead._

"_I can offer my advice; I am used to being in charge of groups of people and weighing up risks." Aizen offered._

_Ichigo looked at him for a long moment and nodded, "Alright. What do you think?"_

"_There is an unmanned Army barrack on the western edge of the city; I think we should stock up on weapons first before even attempting to search for more survivors. We should also see about food supplies before looking for anyone else. Once we've done that, it would likely be a lot safer for all of us if we didn't consciously search for others, but if we bump into anyone like you did with me then we take them with us." He murmured, "I know it's cruel, not to search for them. But at a time like this, with an epidemic like this, we have to put our own safety first."_

"_He is right," Renji called from the gunners seat, "The more intensely we search the more likely it becomes that we will put ourselves in danger."_

"_Alright," Ichigo agreed, "It's a good plan. Let's follow it."_

Aizen sat up abruptly, looking around for signs of what had woken him; he came face to face with Rukia herself. She had her hand on his arm and her eyes were large and animated.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It is daybreak." She replied, "You wanted to move out in the early hours of the morning."

"Ah thank you Rukia." He said and shook off the remaining memories of his vivid dream, the memory of his rescue and his original meeting with Ichigo and his friends was as fresh in his mind as it had ever been.

"Are you alright?" the young girl asked him, noticing the slightly glazed expression he wore.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you." He replied as he stood up and began assembling the weaponry he kept on his persons.

"Ichigo would understand you know..." she breathed, "He would never have wanted people to risk their lives trying to find him."

Swallowing slightly, the brunet looked at her, "I know, but still... It would have been nice not to lose him."

"Yeah..." she looked down and patted his arm before she walked away to wake the others up.

Aizen sighed as he watched her go and looked down at the sawn off shotgun in his hands, he bit his tongue and put it in its holster before slinging it across his back at an angle.

'_Humanity. I guess you were right after all Ichigo. It is all we have left. I just hope there is enough of it left in the world to give us a nudge in the right direction.'_ The brunet thought before he walked towards the exit to unblock the door so that they could move on.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a tight squeeze in the milky white Land Rover they had purloined not far from the warehouse, but Rukia had been small enough to sit in the boot section which had turned out to be helpful, and luckily Szayel was lithe enough to also fit in the boot; Aizen was driving and Byakuya was in the front seat next to him, while Ulquiorra; Grimmjow and Renji were in the back, squashed but not complaining.

As they drove down the deserted; bloodstained streets, they had to avoid crashing into the wrecked or upturned vehicles which littered the way, abandoned in haste by the first of the victims of the Infected, or dragged forcibly when captured.

Lampposts had been ripped from the ground, electricity cables dangled from buildings and across the roads; newspapers and carrier bags; school bags and clothing; dry blood and broken personal effects scattered in the haste of the ones escaping.

But there were no corpses. Not anymore, they had reanimated when the virus had set in, they were somewhere else now. Whether or not they were still in the city, or if they had moved off in the pursuit of fresh flesh was uncertain, there would be no way to be certain until they ran into a horde of them where they least expected to. But until they were certain, they would be careful and diligent.

"Where is our first stop?" Renji asked as he peered out of the window beside him for signs of life or undead.

"Weapon store." Byakuya replied, "We need to restock in bulk."

"And then we need to hit a general store, our food supplies are running low." Rukia added.

"We'll hit th weapon store first, that way if we encounter any of the Infected we will be in a strong position to fight them off. And then we will head to the supermarket afterwards." Aizen murmured, his eyes trained on the road.

"What city are we in?" Rukia asked as she caught sight of several newspapers as they passed them.

"London." Grimmjow told her, "Over there is Kensington Palace, that direction is the London Eye, Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament, to name a few attractions."

"You know the area well?"

"Szayel and I lived here before the Infection outbreak." He said stated, looking out of the window again; ignoring Szayel's glance in his direction.

Minutes later, Aizen brought them to a stop outside of the armoury shop and switched the engine off; he exited the car and looked around carefully for any sign of the Infected, and when he saw none he waved the others out of the car. Renji and Byakuya remained by the entrance to the store, and Szayel remained in the car, while Aizen too Grimmjow, Ulquiorra and Rukia inside; they were tensed and searched the building thoroughly for Infected but again found it completely deserted save for the smears of blood and guts which had been painted on the walls and counters.

"Rukia, get the bags from the car, we have our cargo."Aizen ordered as he checked the counters of various weaponry, "Grimmjow, collect ammunition for the weapons we already have; Ulquiorra, stack any new weaponry with sufficient ammo ready for packing."

"Yes, sir." The two men responded in unison before they went about their task.

The brunet put his shotgun back in the holster on his back as he finally relaxed as much as one could in the midst of an apocalypse. He looked around the store in more detail, pausing as he passed a case on the wall full of differing kinds of blades. One manicured eyebrow rose in response and he cracked the case open, pulling out a samurai katana, it had a dark green wrapped hilt and a dark sheathe. He appraised the sword for a long moment before he slung it over his back beside his shotgun and grabbed a couple of daggers from the case as well.

He turned around and watched as the group in his care began loading up their duffle bags with ammunition; he smiled slightly as he saw Szayel had left the safety of the car in order to assist in packing new weapons. They loaded enough to last them for a good while, and lumbered the bags back to the car when they had sucked the store dry.

"Alright, next stop the supermarket." Aizen announced as he got back into the driver's seat.

"Any chance of getting a bigger car on the way?" Szayel asked as he squished himself against the bags in an awkward but artistic position.

"If we find one we'll see if it works." The brunet replied with a nod before he started the engine and pulled away.

Grimmjow rested his forehead against the glass of the window and closed his eyes, feeling the slow pulse of infection around his body. He was a stubborn bastard and he would never surrender to the virus while there was still breath in his body. But it ached. His muscles and his bones ached with the weight of the virus. He could see why people might give up when suffering such a constant ache, but he wasn't most people. He wouldn't allow himself to give up, not after last time.

_He sprinted across the rooftop of the hospital; by his side were his partner of six years, Ilford Granz and his younger brother Szayel Aporro Granz, racing for their lives._

_Just one hour previously they had been sat in the hospital casualty area, courtesy of Szayel having an accident in the kitchen of the apartment they shared, the cut wasn't even deep but he had insisted on being a pain and getting it checked by the 'professionals' despite the fact he had a medical degree himself._

_Then, a patient had been wheeled in by paramedics, strapped to the bed. It was an elderly man reported to be suffering with a coronary artery blockage; his heart had stopped in the ambulance and they were continually doing CPR on the bloke._

_Grimmjow watched with disinterest as they wheeled the man into one of the side bays, intensive care, to be treated there. The bay had huge glass windows and thin blinds that could be seen through really easily; he could see several nurses and doctors rushing around to try and save the man's life. But he was pretty sure that the old timer was already dead, he looked it. His skin was mottled and grey, his lips purple-blue and his limbs were limp at his sides. Yeah, he was dead._

_The blue haired male sighed and rested an arm on the back of the chairs and rolled his shoulders as he looked at Ilford and offered him a grin which was returned by the blond along with a slight blush. Man he loved Ilford's reactions to the simple things, even after six years together he still acted like it was only the first weeks, with shy touches and blushes roused from only a small look. It just made him all the more loveable. He then got up to grab himself a drink, his throat dry from the awful air-conditioning the hospital had in place._

_Popping a two pound coin into the machine, he tapped a finger to his lips and tried to decide what drink to have. He looked up as Ilford appeared at his side, with an arm around his middle._

"_You want a drink too?" he asked._

"_Nah, thought I'd come see if you needed help picking on for yourself. You're like a child in a candy store when presented with choices." He blond smirked and winked at him coyly._

"_Gee thanks, Ilford." He rolled his eyes and looked the drinks over once more before pressing the buttons and receiving a bottle of lemonade in return._

"_Ooh nice choice."_

_The bluenette rolled his eyes again and handed his partner the bottle, watching as he cracked it open and took several sips before handing it back. Grimmjow knew him too well._

_They returned to their seats and Grimmjow shrugged on his dark blue leather jacket, feeling the cold from the air conditioning. He hated the cold. Knowing this, Ilford snuggled up to him once he had sat back down and he smiled, slinging an arm around him in return and kissing the top of his head. He didn't care what the other waiting patients thought of them, this was where he was happy. With Ilford._

"_Ugh, get a room Brother." Szayel whined from Grimmjow's other side, pouting slightly at the looks of affection passing between the two men._

"_Don't get jealous Szayel." Grimmjow chortled and smiled at his partner's younger brother, he was a genius of scientific discovery recently back from a project in Cardiff. He had been different since his return, stressed almost, and he had returned eight months before the end of the project but refused to say why._

_They fell into a comfortable silence._

_A scream shattered the silence, and shattered their world; a bloodcurdling scream._

_Grimmjow's head snapped up and he looked at the bay into which the man had been wheeled into five minutes before he his cobalt eyes went wide in horror as he saw blood splattering against the glass, "What's going on?!" He exclaimed, getting to his feet, along with twenty others who had been waiting._

_Screams emanated from the room and through the haze of blood, Grimmjow just about made out the elderly man who was on his feet in the room. There was blood pouring from his mouth, fresh blood, his eyes were frenzied, and his face contorted in pain or... Or something else._

_They watched as the elderly man continued attacking the doctors and nurses in the room, in a turbulent state of madness. Security guards rushed into the room to restrain him and the people in the waiting room watched in dismay as he was eventually shot in the chest by one of the guards._

"_Oh my god..." Grimmjow breathed, "What was that?!"_

"_I've no idea... He was... Crazed!" Ilford responded._

"_He was also very dead." Szayel breathed._

"_What?" the other two asked at the same time._

_The pink haired man didn't answer but instead slowly moved towards the intensive care bay, his legs were laboured and paced, his muscles lax. He stopped suddenly, the squeak of his shoe echoed around the near silent room, everyone was still too shocked by the display to speak._

_Grimmjow and Ilford followed him and stopped beside him, "What's wrong?" he asked._

"_Look." Szayel raised a hand and pointed to the corpse of the man who had been shot. His fingers were twitching._

_With no warning, he was on his feet again and fell upon the security guards like a plague. At the same time, the doctors and nurses began to reawaken, their skin pale and clammy, and their eyes a startling shade of gold and their mouths open with hunger._

_It was a massacre._

_It didn't take long before they burst out of the bay and began to attack everyone and anyone in their path; without hesitation, Grimmjow grabbed Szayel and Ilford, and dragged them out of the path of the onslaught. They shot away from the scene, running up the stairs two or three at a time, their breathing coming in short sharp pants as they exerted themselves._

"_What's happening?!" Ilford cried as they reached the second floor._

"_It's pretty obvious what's happening!" Grimmjow exclaimed, "What we don't know is _why_ it is happening!"_

"_But... The dead do not come back to life! That's the stuff of stories and Hollywood!" the blond protested leaning against the wall and running his hands down his face._

_The blue haired male sighed and walked over, putting his arms around him, "Look, at the moment all we can do is keep running; we need to find somewhere safe and alert the authorities... But no matter what we do, the important thing is that we all stay together. Alright?" he said softly, brushing his locks of blond hair away from his face._

"_Alright... You're right... You're right..." he replied, taking a calming breath before he looked around, "Where should we head to?"_

"_Wherever it is we need to go now... I can hear them on the level below!" Szayel half squealed._

"_Let's go up another floor, see if we can find an office with a phone or something!" Grimmjow decided._

_Shrieks and cries followed them wherever they ran as floor by floor the hospital was taken, they found several offices but the signal was down on the phones and they couldn't find any way of alerting the police._

_Chased to the very top floor, the three threw open the doors onto the roof and slammed them shut behind them._

"_Now what do we do?! We're trapped up here!" Szayel yelled._

"_Calm down!" Grimmjow snapped, "Panicking isn't going to help us at all!"_

"_How can you be so calm?! We're all going to die up here!" he half screeched._

_The blue hair male ignored him and strode towards the edge of the building and peered down, his face fell as he saw several crashed ambulances around the A&E entrance, along with blood splashes and discarded papers and brief cases. These... Undead had broken out of the hospital and were spreading on the streets._

_On the plus side he couldn't actually see any of them down there. This meant they were already spreading throughout the city or they were behind them at the doors onto the roof._

_He looked around at the various cables and wires which powered the hospital and connected the internet and telephones and his eyes narrowed as an idea formed in his head. _

_Grimmjow gestured for the other two to help him as he began yanking at one of the cables, trying to rip it free of its position. With two more pairs of hands they were able to rip it up and he then tied one end of the cable to a pillar._

"_What are you planning?" Ilford asked._

"_We can use this cable and swing down to the ground before grabbing one of those cars and getting the hell out of here." He replied quickly as he heard the thumping on the doors of the undead._

"_What?! Are you mad?!"_

"_Sometimes. Carry on tying that. I'll go secure the door."_

_He ran back to the double doors and saw that they were beginning to dent under the pressure; he quickly moved several crates in front of it and looked around as he was joined by Ilford, "It's not going to hold for long." He told the blond before they shared a nod and began running back towards Szayel._

_They reached halfway before Ilford fell and hit the ground; Grimmjow skidded to a stop and ran back to get him, but he screamed "RUN!"_

"_Ilford..." the blue haired male stared as he watched the blond get back to his feet, the undead not far behind him, "ILFORD DON'T YOU DARE!"_

"_Get Szayel out of here. Get yourself out of here! Don't die Grimmjow! Don't you dare die!"_

_He could see tears in the blonds' eyes as he turned and ran at the undead, grabbing broken pole from where they had previously ripped up the cable; he charged them and began striking out with with pole, knocking several over and stabbing a few of them._

"_ILFORD!" he screamed as the blond was hidden from sight by the horde._

_His heart thumped painfully against the inside of his chest but he swallowed his emotion back and turned, sprinting towards Szayel who had successfully attached himself to the end of the cable. Without stopping and grabbed hold of the pink haired man and threw them both off the roof, yelling as they swung down towards the ground, their speed slowed only minorly by the friction of the cable against the side of the building._

_They hit the ground hard, Grimmjow groaned as he felt his shoulder crunch but ignored it; he helped untangle Szayel from the cable before they ran for the nearest car, a Jaguar. Lucky for them both the keys were still in the ignition and with the slamming of two car doors, Grimmjow put his foot on the gas and they shot from the car park like a thing possessed._

"_B-Brother..." Szayel whispered as he looked up at the rooftop._

"_He died bravely Szayel." He breathed his voice breaking._

"_But he won't stay dead..."_

"_No... No he won't," Grimmjow blinked away his tears and remained focused on the road, which was scarily deserted, "But what he comes back as... That won't be Ilford anymore... That will be..."_

"_A zombie. I'm not a child Grimmjow, I understand."_

"_I know you do... Sorry."_

_They fell quiet, mourning in their own ways as they sped away, soon discovering what the extent of the outbreak of undead was. Police officers were fighting a growing army and loosing, buildings were being picked clean of the living, cars were being abandoned, food and books and bags scattered across the road in the haste of people fleeing._

"_I let him down." Grimmjow whispered._

"_What?"_

"_Ilford... I let him down... There must have been another way... If I hadn't gone to secure the door or... Or if we hadn't run to the roof... Whatever option... I let him down..."_

_Szayel looked at him and slapped him around the face, "Shut up. My brother chose to stay and buy us time, he is... He was as stubborn as you are so it isn't like you could have made him change his mind. Get over yourself."_

_Grimmjow sighed but chuckled in spite of himself, "Yeah... I guess you are right..."_

"_Of course I am. I am a genius. You are an idiot."_

"_Yeah thanks for that Szayel. If you are so smart then tell me, where should we go now?"_

"_A gas station."_

"_Huh?"_

"_Look at the metre."_

"_SHIT!"_

Grimmjow opened his eyes slowly and lifted his head off the window, looking around and seeing that the others were in conversation over food supplies. It seemed that they had raided the supermarket while he had been asleep.

"Oh look sleeping beauty has woken up!" Szayel cackled from the back.

"Leave him alone he looks shattered." Renji chided.

"Ugh, I feel like shit..." Grimmjow murmured.

"Um... Grimmjow... You don't look so good." Rukia said quietly.

The car fell silent and all eyes turned to him; he caught sight of himself in the rear-view mirror and saw that his skin was slightly paler and he had dark circles under his eyes which hadn't been there before.

"It's the virus..." Szayel announced, "He is still a long way from being fully Infected but it is starting to take its toll. Grimmjow, have you been experiencing any aching sensations?"

"Yeah, in my arms and legs."

"I see..." he began scribbling in a notepad which had been flourished from nowhere, "Any blurred vision? Sickness? Dizziness? Flash-backs?"

"Uh... No... Except I just had a dream about-" he stopped himself and winced at the thought.

"About what?"

"The hospital." He replied quietly.

Szayel paused and stared at him for a moment before he wrote it down and nodded, "Alright, you need to rest as much as possible, you are going to need your strength in order to fight the virus."

"Aright..."

"Give the man an energy drink..." Szayel added.

Grimmjow thanked whoever it was who handed him the cool metal tin and cracked it open, chugging down the fruity contents. Aizen glanced between Szayel and Grimmjow for a moment, sensing there was more to 'the hospital' than had been suggested. Out of courtesy, they never asked each other what they had been doing the day the Infected appeared, if they spoke up and shared the story then it was welcomed, but otherwise their privacy was their own to keep or discard as they pleased.

"There's still no sign of any Infected in the vicinity." Ulquiorra broke the awkward silence expertly, "We should find somewhere to refuel the car."

"You're right, we are nearly running on empty."

"There's a gas station on the north side from here, a mile down the road Trafalgar Square. If memory serves, were are very close to there." Grimmjow murmured from his seat as he finished the drink he had been presented with.

"Alright, we'll head there then." Aizen agreed and with a quick spin of the wheel they began charging down the road towards the destination.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for the amazing response to this story. Enjoy the new chapter! :)**

**Chapter Four: Pandemic:**

It was probably a bad choice to play "_Bring Me to Life_" as they drove through London, but it got them all laughing at least and laughter was one of the only things that was left untainted by the Infection.

As they neared the centre of the city, it became harder and harder to drive through the vehicles which were getting closer and closer together on the roads. Aizen was a skilled driver, but even he had his limits.

They came to a stop outside of a small church as the sun began to set and decided that a house of God would be as good a place to stay as any; after unloading the car of bags, the troop of survivors headed inside with Renji and Aizen going in first, guns at the ready.

They did a quick sweep of the chapel before Szayel was delegated to search the back rooms; they found no one and began the long progress of barricading themselves inside. Even though the entire city had seemed deserted, they had learned to be cautious.

Luckily there were still millions of candles in the store room and they were quickly gathered and lit for lighting. They grabbed the cushions from the oak pews and sat around the candles in a circle, eating another tinned dinner.

"What do we do next?" Ulquiorra asked finally as he looked across the void at Aizen.

"I don't know... We have to keep on the move I guess. Until this apocalypse ends we will find no peace while settling in one place; we also have to try and find some way of curing Grimmjow before he gets too far down the path." The brunet replied with a sigh.

"I'll be alright for a while longer," the bluenette told them, "I'm made of stronger stuff than that... I won't just give in."

"I know you won't," Aizen smiled, "In another life I would have employed you in my pharmaceutical company."

"Huh? What as?"

"Well... Some of the other companies I traded with sometimes didn't pay up on time... I could have done with an enforcer." He shrugged.

"Aw man... That sounds like my kinda work!"

Their conversation was interrupted by a sudden commotion outside which sent all seven of them scrambling to the windows to peer outside. And when they got there, they were all shocked at what they saw. There were six people stood outside among the gravestones, fighting off a horde of Infected. There was shouting and shooting, swearing and shrieking.

"Don't those _idiots_ realise that all that noise will attract more of the Infected?!" Szayel exclaimed.

"We should assist them!" Rukia said as she saw a young woman with long sea green hair stumble under the force of an attack.

"WHAT?!" Szayel half screamed, "No way!"

"We help them." Aizen stated before he grabbed his weapons and ran to the doors where he began un-barricading the entrance.

"Shit." Grimmjow murmured before he grabbed his handgun from the side and ran after the brunet.

Nnoitra Jigura felt excitement pounding through his veins as they became cornered in the graveyard of the local church and cackled madly as he dragged a stone crucifix from the mud and swung it with all his might, clobbering one of the Infected around the head with it.

To his right, Nelliel was struggling to hold her own against three undead who were grasping blindly at her bared skin and stretching the gapping mouths in response to the sweet scent of flesh which surrounded them. She let out a yell and swung her arm around brought the sharpened end of the hockey stick at her side around as well, caving in the skulls of the three who were groping at her, "And keep your filthy hands to yourselves!" she yelled.

A short way in front of her, a huge man with spiky hair was swinging a baseball bat with zeal, a wide and feral grin stretched across his face as he was splattered with the blood of the undead who he was putting back in their graves.

There was also Tesla, a blond man who was supporting Nnoitra with well placed shots from his side arm.

And from a distance, while straddling the high church walls, Ishida Uryuu was tenaciously firing steel tipped arrows from his yew short bow; managing to keep a large proximity of the yard clear through his long distance shooting.

The number of Infected was growing, they were seeping out from between the buildings, and from inside them; they were beginning to surround the group of five when the doors of the church flew open.

Aizen sprinted out, his newly acquired katana in his hands as he swept past the orange haired girl and spun, decapitating several of the undead in one swing, covered by Renji and Ulquiorra's well trained marksmanship. He was then joined by Grimmjow and Byakuya who began shooting at close quarters with the Infected.

As the two groups combined forces, they renewed each other's morale and together they began to overcome the hordes of Infected before them. Aizen came back to back with the large spiky haired man and they used their melee weapons to carve a way through the main remaining pack of undead; both breathing heavily as they were gifted with the splattering of semi-coagulated blood over their faces and clothes.

They all looked around as there was a sudden scream and Nnoitra's eyes widened fleetingly as he saw his good friend Tesla in the arms of several Infected, being dragged to the ground, and bitten into by the savages.

"Tesla!" he yelled and ran. His lanky legs making short work of the ground between them as he swung his improvised weapon and knocked the Infected away from the blond man. The tall man faltered at the state of his friend and he took a hasty step back as the blond reanimated all too quickly and lunged at him, only to be shot in the head by one of Ishida's arrows.

Nnoitra swallowed harshly as he watched his friend slump on the ground for a second time, this time for good, "Tesla..." he breathe and let out a sigh before he shook it off and swung the stone crucifix again, caving in the skull of another undead.

It took only a little while longer before they finally overwhelmed the horde and defeated the last of the Infected, thankfully with no further injuries or deaths. Keeping alert, Renji and Grimmjow stood by the entrance to the graveyard while Aizen approached the survivors.

"I'm sorry for your loss," the brunet said to the lanky man who was crouched beside the dead blond, "I am certain we have all seen too much death without losing close friends."

"Thanks for ya sympathy..." Nnoitra said as he stood up and lit a cigarette, "How did yer lot get here anyway? The whole south end of the city is crawling with Infected."

"Really?" he frowned and folded his arms, "We haven't encountered any Infected until tonight. We entered from the north bridge and gathered supplies."

"They probably haven't gotten that far yet then..." he ran a hand through his shoulder length black hair, "We've been here since the zombies appeared, we all worked for the same company and banded together. Originally there were twenty of us, but while tryin' to get out of this city we've been picked off one by one. About two weeks ago all the Infected began to drain out of the city for some reason, they left the streets barren and they travelled in one huge horde."

"That sounds almost unbelievable... However considering we are in the middle of an apocalypse I'm willing to believe it." He murmured, "But why are they coming back into the city if they were previously leaving?"

"Yer guess is as good as mine. I'm Nnoitra Jigura by the way, over there is Ishida Uryuu; Orihime Inoue; Nelliel Tu Odelschwank, and he was Tesla." He held out a hand and offered a toothy grin as his hand was shaken.

"I am Aizen Sousuke. That is Grimmjow Jaegerjaques and Abarai Renji by the gate; over there is Kuchiki Byakuya and his sister Rukia, that is Szayel Aporro Granz and Ulquiorra Schiffer." He responded, "You are welcome to join our convoy if you wish, we have food and shelter in the church. More guns between us and the Infected would also be a good reason to team up."

"I think we can pool our supplies. We have a good month's worth of rations." The other nodded, "Alright, if you're sure that it's cool."

"Absolutely, come inside."

As the two groups retreated back inside the church, they set the barricade back up and sealed themselves in the building, the majority of the group headed towards the warm light of the candles however Ulquiorra lingered by the door with the strawberry haired woman, Inoue.

His green eyes had settled on her after the battle was done, he was surprised, and impressed by the way she handled her crossbow, although he sensed she fought only to protect her friends and not because she truly wanted to. That was a weakness in this war. Yet, he couldn't quite shake the feeling that he knew her from somewhere.

'_Ulquiorra opened the letter which had been sitting snugly on his doorstep and read through it quickly. There had been a crazed kidnapper on the loose for the past sixteen months and Ulquiorra, as the best detective not on the police force he was in an excellent position to offer his assistance to capturing this kidnapper._

_This was the second letter he had received requesting his assistance; the first had been from the Detective Chief Inspector at the Metropolitan Police station in London City and this one was from the Police Commissioner._

_Well, when he had two big shots asking for help who was he to turn it down? He had already been looking into the case anyway, it had struck him as interesting how the kidnapper seemed to be targeting scientists, and science graduates. In fact he had a good lead on who his next victim was going to be. So he was at least three steps ahead of the police in this case, and explaining his findings to them would be a headache. Therefore it would be easier to simply begin surveillance on his proposed next victim and watch for signs that this person was being followed or watched._

_It was a few hours later when Ulquiorra finally located his target; she was a petite woman, a little buxom around the breast area, with an abundance of strawberry hair and she had a heart shaped face and large innocent eyes._

_He checked his details and checked the woman's profile against the description he had of her, Orihime Inoue: a post-graduate with three degrees in Physics, Chemistry, and Bio-technology. She was certainly more intelligent than she looked it appeared._

_Having marked his target, Ulquiorra began to tail her around the city as she made her way from shop to shop, cringing inwardly as she brought the most hideous dress shirt he had ever laid eyes on and he hoped inwardly that whoever she was buying for was laid back enough not to find it gross._

_Despite her lack of fashion sense, he could see no reason why anyone would want to kidnap this woman, except for her obvious scientific skills. But could it really be that simple? Someone was gathering scientists?_

_Snapping out of his thoughts he saw a huddled figure seep out of an alleyway, dressed in black with a large hood concealing their fact, but Ulquiorra could tell where they were looking. Straight at this woman. Well, they were in for a big surprise if they thought they were going to run off with her without any interference._

_He picked up speed and trailed the woman closer, melding into the crowds while keeping one eye on her and another on her second pursuer as they sped up as well._

_Forced to stop in the wake of a large truck driving across the road Inoue had just crossed, Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed as her second pursuer also disappeared and he swore under his breath, running across the road as the truck moved on. They were nowhere to be found._

_Swearing under his breath, Ulquiorra heading down the street, backtracking as he heard a startled cry from the back alley he had passed; he looked down and saw Inoue struggling against the person Ulquiorra believed to be the kidnapper._

_He ran down the alley and pulled a small handgun from the holster on his back, concealed under his jacket, "Release the woman!" he yelled, pointing the gun at the assailant._

_The other stiffened and glanced in his direction, his grip momentarily tightening on the woman's arm before a gunshot filled the air and the assailant's arm fell limply at his side in the wake of the shot._

"_Woman, come towards me, I have you covered." Ulquiorra commanded, keeping his gun trained on the man as he made the call to the police._

"_W-Who are you?" she whispered as she hid behind him._

"_My name is Ulquiorra Schiffer, I'm a private detective." He replied stiffly._

"_Thank you for rescuing me." She squeaked._

"_Don't mention it." He murmured.'_

Ulquiorra blinked slightly and raised an eyebrow as the woman smiled at him, "Orihime Inoue?" he asked.

"You remember!" she beamed at him and clapped her hands together; "You're Ulquiorra aren't you?"

"I am." He agreed, "I am surprised to see you here... I thought you had left to see your cousin in America."

"Yeah well... A zombie outbreak kinda grounded the airplanes and stopped the ships from sailing." She chuckled and flicked her hair over her shoulder.

He paused before his lips twitched, "Yes I can imagine that. Come, let's get you some food."

They rejoined the group in time to hear that they were going to be assaulting a large shopping mall in the morning. Apparently, continuously washing zombie guts out of one's clothes repeatedly made them rot faster than normal clothes. Everyone present needed something new so it made sense to take what they needed from some abandoned mall.

Aizen finished talking quietly with Nnoitra and it quickly became clear that the brunet was maintaining his leadership and extending it over the new arrivals, "So, we should all get some sleep, I think it would be best if we move out around 9 am so that we don't attract any more Infected. Another battle here could be detrimental. Grimmjow, I want you to take first watch, Szayel will take over from you."

The next morning they hit the road. Driving would no longer be an option until they found a vehicle big enough to carry the twelve of them, so they were keeping their eyes out for a van or minibus.

The nearest mall was over the other side of the River Thames, which was about two and a half miles away. It was going to take a while for them to reach their destination on foot.

"Couldn't we hijack two vehicles and make a convoy?" Nelliel asked from beside Nnoitra.

"We could, but in the case of being attacked we might get split up easier in two vehicles..." Aizen responded.

"But if we continue like this and we're attacked we're all going to die." Ulquiorra pointed out.

The brunet remained silent for a moment before he nodded, "Very well. We will locate two suitable cars and drive the rest of the way."

Having decided on a new course of action, they set about locating two vehicles and shortly after had a lucky break when they found two six-seat Jeeps which had been abandoned a matter of metres apart.

In the driving seat of the first Jeep was Aizen, and his passenger was Renji while Nelliel; Inoue; Ulquiorra and Ishida were in the back seats with the majority of the food storage in the boot. The second Jeep was being driven by Grimmjow with Nnoitra as his passenger while Kenpachi, Byakuya, Szayel, and Rukia were in the back with the weapon stores in the boot.

In a miniature convoy the two Jeeps pulled away and the group began their journey towards the shopping mall for a second time.

Ulquiorra glanced at the orange haired woman beside him for a moment and frowned weakly as he wondered how she had arrived in this situation; he couldn't help but admit he was interested on a personal level as much as he was a professional one. This was a woman who would rather cut her own finger off than hurt anyone, and yet she had survived months of killing and slaughtering to stay alive. True enough this was a peculiar situation to be in but for a woman as... Feeble and delicate as her, he would have thought she would have been one of the first to die and yet here she was in full bloom. Like a... A dangerous... Female assassin... Like a... A... Deadly... Witch assassin... Yes... Absolutely. Ulquiorra wanted to shoot himself.

"So... Pinkie, you got a boyfriend?" Nnoitra asked as he peered around the back of his chair at Szayel who was sat primly looking out of the window.

"No." He replied stiffly.

"Do you want a boyfriend?"

"No."

"You didn't even think about that! Come on... Think about it for a moment..." the lanky male offered a toothy grin.

"I am not required to think about it. I am a genius. Thinking comes naturally to me, unlike you. You, it appears, who have so few brain cells that they sink to the lowest area of your male anatomy, which is clearly the only place they find any usage at all. Because a man who thinks finding a quick fuck in the middle of an apocalypse is clearly both a moron and has an IQ lower than an amoeba. And someone like that holds no interest to me. I prefer intelligence."

Nnoitra sat and stared for a moment, trying to work out if he had just been insulted or not; he looked around as the blue haired male driving started laughing and frowned slightly.

"Don't worry Lanky, our little Szayel is a pet genius of perfection. So if your nose isn't in the middle of your face and your dick doesn't stand straight you got no chance." Grimmjow smirked.

"Right... Shame, he's so pretty."

"He is kind of pretty I guess..." Grimmjow agreed with a small nod.

"I am not _**pretty**_!" Szayel shrieked from the backseat.

"Yeah... You kind of are. I might nickname you Doll, you look just like one." Nnoitra grinned.

"You... You... Argh you _pig_!"

Grimmjow cackled from the driver's seat and shook his head, "Oh boy... Things are looking up!"

"_Shut up_!" Szayel yelled and stomped his foot in protest, "You're both morons with more brain cells in your balls than your brain!"

"Yep." Grimmjow and Nnoitra said at the same time.

"_Pigs_!" The pink haired scientist hissed, and looked out of the window again, ignoring the faint blush which had spread across his cheeks as he folded his arms and huffed.

A manic smile spread across his face as he saw the two Jeeps crossing the city as he watched the CCTV cameras which he had set up in his office. To have survived so long without infection meant this group was strong...

Excitement. Thrill. Zeal.

He had fresh specimens to experiment on. He would test them. See how far he could push them. See what made them strong.

Tapping away on his keyboard with long nails, he never stopped grinning as he set up his experiment.

_**Status: Project Vizard Active**_

_**Instillation Biohazard Status: Released To City Streets**_

_**Directives: Find and Remove Threats**_

**PASS CODE REQUIRED TO CONTINUE:**

_K-U-R-O-T-S-U-C-H-I_

_**DIRECTIVES INITIALISED. **_

_**BIOHAZARD RELEASED TO CITY STREETS. **_

_**PROJECT VIZARD ACTIVATED.**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks again for the lovely reviews for this story! Please continue to review and enjoy, the plot is twisting here ladies and gentlemen! :)**

**Chapter Five: Contamination**

They had split into smaller groups so that they could cover the mall quicker and hasten back to safety; Aizen, Renji, and Nelliel had formed a team taking the top floor; Byakuya, Ishida, and Kenpachi were taking the second floor; Ulquiorra, Inoue, and Szayel were taking the first floor while Grimmjow, Nnoitra, and Rukia were taking the ground floor.

It was a mistake they would not soon forget.

Aizen, Renji, and Nelliel were walking along the top floor searching for the stores that they required and most of the shops seemed relatively intact as far as their stock was concerned so they were quickly able to change out of their shredded clothes and find new ones without trouble, providing more time for exploration and gathering of items that might come in handy.

Aizen was now wearing a dark grey suit, cheaper than the ones he was used to wearing before the world had ended, but it was comfortable and good quality at least; Renji was wearing stonewashed jeans, khaki green converses and a black jacket over a white polo shirt, and Nelliel had donned a tight fitting pale green dress which only just covered her bottom and hugged her... Ample bosom.

The three paused outside of a cafe and shared a glance before they went inside and raided the drinks cabinet, finding a couple of cans of coveted sodas and preserved juices.

"Aww... It has been months since I've even seen a can of Panda Pop!" Nelliel squealed in delight as she took the can from Renji and hugged it against her chest.

"Heh... I guess it is the small things in life eh?" Renji laughed as he watched her bounce around with cries of joy, "Eh... I hope the others don't overhear and think we're taking advantage of her..." he added.

"Renji you perverted fool..." Aizen sighed as he leaned down and opened several of the cupboards to see their contents, "Besides, you wet yourself when you found a hotdog the other week so don't tease her."

"I-I didn't wet myself!" he blushed and pouted as he saw down in one of the booths and watched him, plopping his chin down in the palm of his hand as he did so.

"Heh, made you shut up though..." he smirked and stood up slowly; he frowned faintly and looked around, "You know... Something isn't right here."

"What do you mean?" he asked as he got to his feet again.

He ran a hand through his hair, "There's no food..."

Byakuya kept vigilant as they investigated the second floor, they too had found a suitable clothing store and were now dressed more comfortably. The raven haired stoic was clad in a white suit and had tied his long hair up in a ponytail though strands of his fringe still hung around his face; Ishida was wearing a white and blue outfit after he had gone on about some ridiculous family heritage of his and Kenpachi was... He had gone a little over the top with the 'hard man' look and was now wearing motorbike leathers.

The three of them stopped as they heard Nelliel's laughter from the floor above and they shared a look of contempt before continuing the search. Ishida and Byakuya stopped at the same time and looked around with looks of perplexing while Kenpachi just carried on without a care in the world.

"Have you guys noticed anything... Odd?" Ishida asked quietly.

"Yes." Byakuya replied, his expression darkening as he slowly reached around for his rifle, "There's no blood."

Ulquiorra sighed and fondled his crossbow as they sat down in the public speaker's area and looked around, he was now more comfortable in black combat trousers and boots, his torso and arms concealed by a long sleeve jumper and leather jacket. He swallowed and risked a side glance at Inoue, she looked so calm despite the situation, she was wearing a knee length skirt and a pink blouse with puffed out sleeves. Pink suited her, it made her skin glow and... He looked away and berated himself inwardly for his thoughts. Across the hall from them Szayel was pacing like a madman, wearing pinstriped trousers and a waistcoat over a pale pink dress shirt, his glasses were being pushed up his nose even more than usual and he was almost tugging his hair out in frustration.

Szayel stopped suddenly, so suddenly that his shoes squeaked against the floor, "Of course... How could I not have noticed before? What a fool I am! All this time spent cooped up with mentally incapacitated idiots like that Nnoitra and Renji has dulled my mind completely... Argh I am a fool!"

"What's wrong Szayel-san?" Inoue called, swinging her legs gently as she looked at the pink haired man.

"Look around Princess!" he snapped, "Use your senses!"

"Hey!" Ulquiorra stood up swiftly, "There is no need to talk to her like that! Hold your tongue Granz!"

"Tch..." the pink haired man glared at the black haired man before he sighed, "There is no destruction to any of the shops. They're untouched."

Grimmjow and Nnoitra, who were now dressed similarly in jeans and leather jackets with simple shirts underneath were talking animatedly as they walked together, neither of them paying much attention to Rukia who was fiddling with the hem of her summer dress.

She sighed heavily and glanced up at the balconies of the three floors above them and wondered how her brother was getting along with the four-eyed archer and the brute. She almost giggled as she recalled how her brother had described the brute. It was so unlike him to flaunt even an ounce of passion, yet when he had expressed his deep dislike for Zaraki Kenpachi his eyes had _burned_ with passion!

Rukia stopped suddenly and she tilted her head, "Grimmjow. Nnoitra..."

"Hmm?" they both looked around at her with raised eyebrows, "What?"

"I uh... I don't want to make you panic but..." she swallowed, "Doesn't this... Whole mall look a little too pristine?"

"What do you mean?" Grimmjow asked as he looked around.

Aizen loaded his gun, "There is no food, not even scraps or packets, only drinks which..." he opened his can and tipped it upside down, "Are empty to start with..."

Byakuya looked around as he held his gun at eyelevel, "There are no corpses or any blood stains from the attacks of the Infected..."

Szayel touched the seats they had been using, "Nothing is out of place, and there is no signs of struggling or battle..."

Rukia swallowed, "It looks like a stage."

At the same time, on each platform of the mall, a low rumbling was heard, followed by hundreds of groans and moans, bloodcurdling and terrifying. Twelve sets of eyes slowly turned towards the united source of the sound as the doors to the mall were smashed inwards under the force of many pairs of hands.

Within seconds, all four levels were flooded with Infected.

The light was so bright, it was burning him and scolding him, both searing and freezing him to his very core. There were so many sensations, so many feelings both raw and past; so many thoughts and dreams dwelling in the open spaces of his mind. Everything was muddled, everything confused, everything so... Fresh and still.

So many questions... So many necessary answers... So much was unknown...

Where was he?

Who was he?

What was going on?

What were all these cables doing stuck to his body?

What was this inane urge he felt?

Instinct?

Desire?

Need?

His focus cleared with no warning, like an elastic band had snapped in his mind, twanging every corner of his mind and making it hyperactive. Such insight! Such realisation! Such... Overwhelming power!

He ripped the cables from his body, tearing the intravenous lines from his flesh and hauling himself out of the sterile bed. He almost fell as his feet touched the floor, his legs aching from not being used; his muscles weakened but his mind alive with energy. Such contradiction.

A growl escaped his snarling lips and he staggered, clutching the white sheets around his body as he used sheer willpower to make his body do as he wanted. He forced each muscle of his form to move in the direction he desires, struggling and grinding his teeth as his body tried to disobey and send him to the floor.

Like an infant's first tottering steps, he swerved and swayed, using the walls and the counters to adjust himself until his bulk awakened fully. He circled the room several times, like a vulture upon its prey. It was all white, like a laboratory or a hospital room; there was a single bed and it was his bed, he should know he had just climbed from it! And there were machines, a heart monitor, a blood pressure metre, an ECG machine and... Well he couldn't name them if he tried. What interested him, was the rows of tempered glass containers which had a strange blood red liquid inside of it.

Tilting his head slightly something made him think that it was important, so he plucked one of the containers from the holder and held it tightly in his hand. His eyes, now wilder and more feral looked for the exit, his body was behaving and he could move at will.

The door was locked, as indicated by the neon sign above it which said 'LOCKED' in large green letters, but he could see a keypad which had a card slot at the side of it. His eyes narrowed slightly as he grabbed one of the needles which had been in his arm and he lurched towards the pad, he slid the needle into the card slot and slowly slid it down the vertical slide until he felt it dip into the locking mechanism. He gave a rough upwards jerk and jumped in surprise as it beeped and opened the door.

He stuck his head out of the room and glanced up and down the hallway, it was silvery and metallic, it was spotless and... Shiny. Wincing at the reflective surface he began his journey down the hallway, deciding to follow the exit signs, though he still had little idea of where he was.

On the floor, every hundred feet or so, there was a black emblem of a Celtic knot wrapped in thorns and surrounded by wilted roses. It was disturbing but unimportant to him. He ignored it and continued on his way.

He shielded his eyes with his hand as he exited the building, momentarily blinded by the sunlight; he lowered his hand once he had become accustom to the light and looked around slowly. He had exited from what looked like a massive hospital facility named 'Seireitei Medical Centre', the name jostled no memories from him, but as he looked around at the street his blood ran colder than ice.

Wrecked cars, vans and bikes littered the streets and roads; old blood stains splattered the tarmac and concrete, aging or torn up newspapers were being brushed along the deserted area by the breeze and not a single person was in sight.

What had happened here?! The whole place looked like something out of a horror movie! And he had watched plenty of those! He frowned, he could remember watching horror movies, but he couldn't remember who he was or what the hell had happened? That didn't seem normal...

He glanced down at himself for a moment and decided that he needed to get some clothes before he went any further, he wouldn't get very far wearing a sheet and nothing else. His skin was prickling with a sense of danger, making his senses extra sharp and his heart thunder a little faster in his chest.

It didn't take long for him to get some clothes, he dressed in all black and tucked his trousers into the boots he had purloined from the store as he adjusted the combat rifle and dual handguns he had picked up in their holsters before he also slung the Japanese style katana over his back and cracked his knuckles. Now prepared and alert after gulping from a bottle of water, he felt some of his memories beginning to return.

Infected. Death. Infection. Death. Danger. Hunted... Survivors.

His eyes flashed. Of course! He had been with a group of survivors when everything had gone blank... He had to locate them, he had to make sure that they were safe. But where would they be? They would have moved on by this time... How long had he even been gone?!

"Damnit..." he muttered before he rushed out of the store and down the street, he would find them. But first he would deal with the nagging sense of danger that was sending ripples of anxiety up and down his spine.

Aizen gritted his teeth as they were backed into the further recesses of the top floor of the mall, Renji and Nelliel were at his side but where battered and tired from the ongoing fight for survival. The Infected just seemed to keep coming, no matter how many they took out more came and replaced them, each more hungry that the last.

He didn't even want to think what was happening on the other three levels with his comrades, he had no doubt from the constant gun fire that the Infected where down there as well. His eyes narrowed as he heard a harrowing scream from one of the lower floors and his hands instantly tightened around his guns at the impossible situation they were faced with.

He had led his companions, people he had come to consider as friends, to their deaths. They were all going to die because of him.

Aizen let out a yelp as something grabbed his ankle and yanked hard, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the blood drenched ground, effectively ruining his newly acquired clothing. Not that that was the most important or pressing matter on his mind.

No... The most pressing matter on his mind was the groping cold hands of the Infected that had swooped down upon him during his time on the floor; his eyes went wide as he felt the burning of teeth in his shoulder and he let out a broken wail as he felt his own blood splash against his neck and cheek. He reached up and gripped the hair of the Infected that was feasting upon him and snapped it neck before he was yanked to his feet by another Infected.

He was about to watch the Infected sink its rotten teeth into his throat when he saw a shadow on the window. He frowned slightly and found himself becoming distracted by the pleasant diversion from his grisly death and tilted his head to the side slightly. It was such a familiar sight. Ichigo had burst through the window of his office building on an occasion so very similar to this. It was a happy memory.

That was when the gunfire blew the window in and began to take down the Infected surrounding the three of them with expert aim and killer instinct. A figure flew in through the window, followed by a black rope which had been used to swing across from a building over the road, the figure was immediately converged upon by the Infected by with a glint of a blade the corpses fell in a circle around the figure, decapitated.

The lines of Infected had been thinned enough for Aizen, Renji, and Nelliel to resume their assault and regain their courage; apparently sensing this, their saviour leapt over the balcony to the second floor where a similar slaughter took place.

Felling the last of their thinned out foes Aizen, and his two companions dashed for the stairs to see if Byakuya's group had fared better then they had. The brunet was nursing the ugly bite wound in his shoulder with a grim expression, but determination not to fall to the Infection, at least not before he established the health of his companions.

They got to the second floor in time to see their saviour leap down to the second floor and rushed over, assisting Byakuya; Ishida and Kenpachi in killing off the last of the horde.

"Is everyone alright?" Aizen asked as he panted gently.

"Yes, we have a few minor scrapes and bruises but we are fine." Byakuya responded as his eyes fell on Aizen's shoulder.

"Good, then let us proceed." He murmured, ignoring their gazes as they headed for the stairs and went down to the first floor.

It was like a song stuck on repeat, as soon as they reached the the first floor their saviour leapt down to the ground floor leaving the recouping group to end the last of the Infected on that level.

They chased their way down the stairs a final time and burst out onto the ground floor where Grimmjow, Nnoitra, and Rukia were penned in by the growing numbers of Infected. Amidst the horde, the swift splattering of heads being severed from bodies rung out among the firing of guns and the manic laughter of Grimmjow and Nnoitra, who were enjoying the fight.

The nine of them engaged in the battle to rescue the three who were trapped and Aizen slowly began to carve his way through with his own katana, slicing off arms and heads at every turn as he worked his way into the centre of the mass.

He let out a yell and stabbed an of the Infected through its eye, grimacing slightly before he yanked the blade back and turned on the spot, arcing his sword down before he almost jumped out of his skin as the blade met another one and he found himself staring at a pair of dark chestnut eyes.

"I... Ichigo?" he breathed before he was grabbed by the strawberry and forced down as he did a spin and beheaded several Infected which had swarmed around them.

As he was released they moved so that they were stood back to back, slashing and cutting at their enemies with ferocity as they watched their companions and friends beginning to make a real dent in the forces surrounding them.

It took a while longer for them to dispose completely of the moving corpses and finally silence fell once more around them. They all fell into a seated position save for Ichigo, Aizen and Grimmjow who had moved together to talk.

"Where have you been? Where did you go to that night? Are you alright?" Grimmjow asked, resting a hand on Ichigo's shoulders, relief flooding him that they had not lost a good friend after all, "How did you find us?"

"Damnit Grimmjow let him speak." Aizen growled as he looked at the strawberry haired man, hardly believe that he was here.

"Heh I guess you don't change Grimm," he responded before he rubbed his forehead, "Some of my memory is still patchy but I can tell you what I remember..."

"Just... Do what you can, here, have a drink and some food, you look ready to keel over." Aizen said as he pulled a bottle of water and some crisps from his bag.

"Thanks," Ichigo said as he took a seat with the other two, "The night I disappeared I was collecting wood for the fire, when I was set upon by a man dressed in what looked like science robes, he was strangely adored with a blue main and body paint. He drugged me and when I woke I was in a research facility, I now know that it was in this city, disguised as a Medical Centre. I drifted in and out of consciousness, he was running some kind of tests on me, and he kept saying I was a good research project, both hopeful and fascinating... He was pumping me with some kind of drug. This to be precise." He pulled the container of red liquid from his pocket and held it up.

Aizen reached out to take it when it was suddenly snatched from Ichigo's grasp by none other than Szayel, "How did you lay your hands on this?!" the pink haired man snapped as he inspected it.

"Szayel?" Grimmjow and Aizen said at the same time.

"It was in the research room that the scientist was keeping me in. I woke up an hour ago and was unbound, my mind was clear with the intent to escape, but when I saw that drug something told me to take it so I did." Ichigo explained, "Why? Is it important?"

Szayel tensed slightly and closed his hand tightly around the container, "This 'drug' is the very virus which had turned the population of the world into the walking dead my dear Ichigo."

"How do you know?" Aizen asked with a frown.

"Because..." Szayel turned away slowly and pushed his glasses up his nose, "I helped to create it."

"WHAT?!"

Professor Kurotsuchi Mayuri watched on the cameras once again as his project helped annihilate the Instillation's Biohazard, aka the Infected he had raised in the laboratory.

It had been an interesting experiment to see how his project had reacted to the environment, and taking a sample of his drug had been a very smart move to make. It would give the members of their group who were Infected a 'chance' but a very slight one. Of course, having the great Szayel Aporro Granz with them was cheating, but it would be interesting to see how they reacted when they discovered who and what he was.

Very interesting indeed.


	6. Chapter 6

**As always, thank you for supporting the story and reviewing, it is much appreciated! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Six: Origins:**

The infection was fast flowing in his veins, already Aizen's skin was becoming clammy and sickly, almost grey with illness; his hair was dishevelled and his breathing raspy. They had been able to stop the bleeding from the bite wound on his shoulder, but he didn't have the same level of resilience to the virus as Grimmjow did. He was weakening with each passing minute, though he refused to show it too much, continuing to smile and laugh whenever someone cracked a half-hearted joke to ease the tension.

Aizen rested his back against the headrest as Ulquiorra drove one of the Jeeps away from the mall, things were a little cramped again considering they had two six seat vehicles but a total of thirteen people travelling with them, still, the brunet didn't really mind have Ichigo sat on his lap.

The strawberry haired male had been quiet since leaving the mall, his eyes almost constantly fixed on Aizen as he remained peacefully straddled over the man, quite comfortable and at ease. He could sense the Infection pumping through the man's system, slowly attacking his blood cells, his DNA and his vital organs. He had been able to sense the Infection inside of Grimmjow as well, though it was less pronounced than with Aizen, the bluenette had at least some natural immunity, even if it wasn't complete.

He was also under no illusions. He carried the Infection, the virus, himself, it had been fed into his system repeatedly by that man... The blue haired scientist.

Ichigo knew nothing about him yet, none of them did as Szayel had point blank refused to discuss his knowledge of the virus or the scientist until they had found somewhere safe to stay. The pink haired man had not even been persuaded in the face of a very angry Grimmjow leering down upon him.

So here they were, once again searching for the safest possible place that they could find to rest and eat after the exhausting battle which had taken place in the shopping centre. No one had yet questioned the sudden arrival of the Infected, they were weary and anxious to be in a safer environment before they even dared to utter the word 'Infected'.

Aizen and Ichigo shared a look, in which they smiled slightly to each other and the brunet was allowed to enjoy the flushed visage which Ichigo treated him too as his cheeks became dusted by a pale pink blush. He had indeed missed the orange haired male, and having him back (and seated snugly on his lap) was more than making up for his absence.

Sighing quietly, the strawberry leaned in closer and dropped his head onto the other man's good shoulder, slipping an arm around him as he closed his eyes and took momentary comfort in the presence of another person being so close after his imprisonment.

They both jumped as the car spluttered before the engine cut out and they looked around at Ulquiorra before realising they had arrived at their destination. The second Jeep was already there and the six people who had been in it were already exploring the small motel to see if it was suitable; the seven people in the Jeep made a quick exit and joined the exploration team.

It was an hour or so later when they gathered in the small cafeteria area, standing chairs and tables up so that they could sit together while Szayel finally explained to them what he had begun in the mall.

The normally boisterous pink haired man was quiet and morose, his eyes shadowed by his glasses and his expression unreadable by even Grimmjow, who knew him better than anyone else present.

Ichigo assisted Aizen in sitting down, as the man's strength was rapidly fading unlike his resolve, before he took to a seat himself between Aizen and Rukia; all eyes were fixed on Szayel who was pacing, the only clear indication that he was stressed.

Nudging his glasses up his nose, Szayel took a breath and swept his hair back off his face in an overly dramatic gesture, "Before the viral outbreak I joined a scientific deployment to Cardiff City, there were over three thousand scientists gathered from all over the world in a laboratory hidden deep underground. There were several different divisions within this laboratory, some of it was dedicated to the manufacture of combat weaponry like improved guns and grenades; some was dedicated to the creation of nuclear power; some was for finding better and purer fuels for our cars and homes to be run on... And there was one division which was dedicated for the sole purpose of viral weaponry and discovery.

"I was a member of the viral division, set with the task of identifying different strands of viruses like influenza and measles... I was lead to believe, as the other viral scientists were, that we were striving to create the ultimate cure of viral diseases. However, six months into the project I became _privy_ to some private documents not to be seen by anyone but the head scientist. His name was Kurotsuchi Mayuri, he was a rouge scientist located by the government and given employment as a means of paying off his debt to society. He had formerly been imprisoned for performing experiments of the homeless of the country. I had met with the man on several occasions, he seemed deeply interested in several of my own theories and was impressed by my scientific knowledge, in fact he made me his second in command and I was given better equipment and all the gifts one could expect with such a position.

"These documents contained a formula which would create, not the miracle cure we had thought, but rather a deadly virus more powerful and potent than anything this planet had ever seen. I will say for certain, that once I discovered the nature of the science I had been set to work on, I abandoned my position and returned home to London where my brother and his partner lived. I moved in with them and eight months later... We were attacked by the Infected in a hospital waiting room and my brother sacrificed himself so that we could escape. So before anyone starts blaming me... Just know that I have lost _just_ as much as the rest of you in this mess!"

"How do we know... You've told us everything?" Rukia asked, "If you've been hiding all of this for so long..."

"I guess you don't. I'm not going to ask for you to trust me because I have no right to do so. But I can only say that I have told you everything." The pink haired man responded as he looked at her.

"You put us all in danger by hiding this!" Renji exclaimed, "All that bullshit about you 'maybe' being able to make a cure and all along you knew the cause, effect and outcome! You know how to make the cure don't you?!"

"There is no cure!" Szayel snapped, "There was _never_ one made! Don't you understand? The only possible reason the virus was created was for the purpose of completely annihilating the human race!"

"How are we supposed to believe you?! You've been lying to all of us all along! We should damn well throw you out to those monsters _you_ created!" the redhead continued, "It's no more than a lying little bastard like you deserves! I bet you never even had a brother! You're just lying more to trick us into feeling sorry for you!"

"ENOUGH!" Grimmjow roared, standing so fast that his chair fell back and clattered, "HIS BROTHER WAS CALLED ILFORD GRANZ AND HE WAS A BETTER MAN THAN YOU WILL EVER BE ABARAI! HIS BROTHER DIED TO PROTECT SZAYEL... AND TO PROTECT ME! BECAUSE WHEN WE WERE TRAPPED ON A HOSPITAL ROOFTOP WITH NO HOPE OF ESCAPE HE CHOSE TO RUN BACK INTO THE HORDE OF MONSTERS COMING AT US SO THAT WE COULD HAVE CHANCE TO ESCAPE!"

Silence fell over the room as Grimmjow's azure eyes flicked to Szayel's golden ones, "Szayel got out of there when he realised things weren't right. None of you have _any_ right to blame him. And if you really want to try you are going to have to go though me first." He told them boldly, "And if any of you try that you best be prepared for a world of pain to come your way!"

Szayel went a little red in the face as Grimmjow defended him so willingly and sighed inwardly as he recalled the days when they had all hung out at their apartment, Grimmjow; Ilford and himself. They spent their weekends watching old television series together and being generally quite nerdy. He remembered one Christmas Ilford had bought them all Star Trek uniforms so they could really get in the mood when watching the old original series. It had been one of the best Christmases he had ever had.

Aizen cleared his throat, "I for one, do not blame Szayel, true enough he should have told us the truth sooner but the blame cannot be laid at his feet for the actions of this... Kurotsuchi Mayuri."

"I agree entirely," Ichigo said, "Szayel's done nothing wrong. None of us are perfect so what right do we have to question him?"

"I too do not blame Granz." Byakuya stated, his eyes closed.

"Well I still hold him responsible for being a jackass..." Renji muttered, "But I'm not gonna throw him to the Infected..."

Szayel looked around the room as they slowly decided whether or not they blamed him for their predicament and was pleased when no one did, he cleared his throat, "If we find a suitable laboratory... With two patients who are suffering the effects of Infection, a sample of the virus and a patient who has had no ill effects from exposure I... I should be able to synthesise a cure. If we head to a laboratory tomorrow morning... I swear I will do everything in my power to make this cure happen."

Aizen smiled faintly, "Sounds like a good plan to me. Anyone disagree?" When no one answered the brunet nodded and coughed dryly, "Well then, if you... Will excuse me, I will be turning in for the night. I will leave Byakuya to sort out the order of night watch, and of course help yourselves to dinner."

Ichigo stood up with Aizen, ignoring the looks he got from several of the other people as he hook his arm under the brunet's and helped him from the cafeteria.

They walked quietly together until they reached the room that Aizen had chosen to stay in; Ichigo pushed the door open for him and finally released him from his grasp with a smile, "You gonna be alright?" he asked.

"I believe so," the brunet smiled, reaching out, and resting a hand on the other's shoulder, "I'm glad you're back."

"I'm glad to be back as well." He respond, "Good night, Aizen."

"Good night, Ichigo."

The strawberry turned away as the door shut and made his way back down the corridor, coming to an abrupt stop as he saw Rukia and Renji were waiting for him; he smiled at them both and headed over to his old friends.

"What's up?" He greeted, leaning against the wall as he stuffed his hands into his pocket.

"You've been back less than a day and you're already all over each other again... Why don't you just admit that you like him and get it over with?" Rukia smirked as she folded her arms and fixed him with a steely gaze.

He raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me? We are not all over each other... I simply helped him back to his room..."

"Don't give us that!" Renji scoffed, "We were both in the same Jeep as you, dumbass, you were very comfy sat there on his lap; snuggling."

"We were not snuggling!" Ichigo hissed, "So what if I was comfortable... Doesn't mean anything..."

"Suuuuuure..." Rukia grinned and slapped his arm, "We're in the middle of hell Ichigo! Any shred of happiness that any of us can have should be treasured!"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, "And on that note," he turned to Renji, "You told Byakuya yet?"

"W-What?" the redhead spluttered, his face turning the same shade as his hair, "I don't know what you are talking about!"

"Yeah you do!" the strawberry grinned evilly, "Your itty bitty crush on Mr Kuchiki Byakuya hasn't disappeared since I left has it?" he cooed.

Rukia cackled slightly, "No it hasn't! He still practically swoons whenever they are on night patrol alone."

"Hey! No ganging up on me!" Renji pouted, "Geez you two never change!"

'_Ichigo slung his arm around Renji's shoulder as the music blared from the stereo in the corner of the people packed room, the party had been going on for half an hour, the lights and the music were vibrant and loud but not insanely so. It was a party, but it had style._

"_Awesome party your boyfriend throws Renji."_

"_B-Byakuya isn't my boyfriend!" the redhead hissed, "I wish you would stop calling him that too, he might hear you!"_

"_That, my friend, is the damned point! You're such a pussy you can't even tell the guy you like him, you've been his PA since you left university and that was four years ago! You can't expect the man to wait forever!" the strawberry yelled over the music._

"_Oh be quiet! I don't see your date here either!" the redhead snorted._

_Ichigo rolled his eyes, "That's because I don't have a crush on anyone, whereas you are wasting valuable time! You're the only person apart from Rukia who he even smiles at! You can see he melts a little bit whenever you're in the room... So come on...Just tell him how you feel and in a couple of hours someone might be getting l-a-i-d..."_

"_Ichigo! You are so childish!" Renji snapped, not really angry with his friend, "I'm not interested in getting laid... Just having him know how I feel would be enough... But, it isn't happening! I am very proud of my position as his personal assistant and I don't want to risk jeopardising it for anything!"_

_Ichigo sighed and patted his back, "I know, I know..."_

_The two men fell silent as Rukia came bounding down the huge staircase in a delicate lilac dress, followed slowly, and elegantly by the raven haired; stoic faced Kuchiki Byakuya himself._

_Ichigo smirked slightly as he felt Renji go still beside him and guessed that his friend was partially mesmerised by the raven haired male's casual attire: a pair of tight fitting jeans and a cream shirt which was only buttoned to the middle of his breast bone._

_Rukia skipped over to them both and smiled at them, clapping her hands together, "I'm glad you both made it!"_

"_We wouldn't have missed it for the world!" Ichigo grinned back, "Happy birthday by the way."_

"_Happy birthday Rukia!" Renji agreed._

"_Thanks boys." She smiled and accepted a kiss on the cheek from them both before she was handed two wrapped up presents, "Ooh you didn't have to!"_

"_We wanted to." _

"_Heh, thanks." She blushed and set Ichigo's down on the table before ripping open the one from Renji, grinning as she pulled out a stuffed white rabbit wearing dungarees._

"_I know you love rabbits and I know you didn't have that one in your collection." Renji smiled and ran a hand through his long red hair._

"_It's perfect Renji, thank you! I didn't have this one." She beamed and squeezed the toy close to her before she turned to Ichigo's gift and began unwrapping it._

_The strawberry folded his arms and smiled as Rukia pulled out a pile of six box sets of her favourite television series and returned the hug he was given, watching as Byakuya made his way over to them with._

"_Good evening, Kurosaki... Renji." The man greeted, his eyes lingering momentarily on the redhead before he rested a hand on his sister's shoulder, "Ah, it is a good thing we have more than one television in the house or else I would be forced to suffer at the hands of that series..." he sighed._

"_You love it too really!" Rukia teased, "Thanks again for my presents! I'll go and put them somewhere safe!"_

_The three men watched as the small young woman bounced off again and shook their heads in unison. Rukia was the same age as both Renji and Ichigo, and when it mattered she showed it, but sometimes she could be incredibly young in her way of thinking. But it just made them love her more, as a sister at least._

"_It was good of you both to come," Byakuya said suddenly, "Rukia was worried you wouldn't be able to make it."_

"_Ah we wouldn't let her down for anything." Ichigo responded straight away, "She's like family."_

"_Absolutely," Renji agreed, "The only family either of us really has."_

"_Well, I am comforted by the knowledge she has friends like yourselves, since our father's death she had been distant from me, possibly because I cannot provide the comfort she needs... So it is good that she can rely on you both." The steel grey eyed man sighed, closing his eyes for a moment._

"_You do a great job." Renji blurted out, "You shouldn't doubt yourself."_

_Smiling extremely faintly, Byakuya opened his eyes and looked at the redhead, "I suppose you are correct, my thanks. If you will excuse me I must mingle with the other guests, lest they think I am giving you special treatment."_

_They watched as the man disappeared into the crowd and Ichigo looked at his friend slowly, "Seriously? 'You do a great job Byakuya, you shouldn't doubt yourself Byakuya'... Dear God Renji you need to work on your chatting up skills."_

"_Ugh, shut up you asshole." The redhead groaned and sank into a chair, grabbing a plate of sausage rolls and munching on them glumly._

_Ichigo quirked an eyebrow and chuckled, patting his back and leaving him on his own to mourn over his food; the strawberry haired male sprinted up the staircase and grabbed Rukia's shoulders as they bumped into each other._

"_Ah there you are, Shorty!" he grinned, "I was just looking for you. We need to set Renji up with your brother or he is going to eat himself into a sausage roll death."_

_Rukia, momentarily ready to kill him for calling her short, suddenly grinned wickedly, "I have been thinking the same thing! You wouldn't believe how different Brother has been since Renji started working as his personal assistant..."_

"_Excellent. So how do you propose that we get them hooked up?"_

_Rukia opened her mouth to reply when there was a sudden explosion of screaming from outside of the Kuchiki residence. The two looked around sharply as the music cut off downstairs and the lights when out, leaving them engulfed in darkness._

"_What's going on?" Rukia whispered as more screams echoed from the streets._

"_I don't know..." Ichigo replied, taking her hand and slowly leading her down the stairs, he dragged her into the lounge where the majority of the partygoers were, "Anyone know what the hell is going on?!"_

"_Shh!" a voice said from his side, Byakuya had appeared there without him realising, "Don't make a sound."_

_The elder sibling crept over to the other side of the room, remaining ducked down as he slowly nudged the thick velvet curtains open so he could see out onto the driveway._

_At the exact same moment the front door was shattered under a great force and without warning a tidal wave of people stormed into the house, blood dripping from their mouths; their eyes golden and hungry. They set upon the party guests like animals, ravaging them and feasting without repentance._

_Screams filled the mansion as death rolled through the crowd, followed by contamination and transformation. Ichigo grabbed Rukia and pulled her to the back of the room as the partygoers began to change and become like the very people who had burst into her house._

_The strawberry nearly had a heart attack when a firm hand clasped his shoulder; but breathed a sigh of relief as he saw it belonged to an unharmed Renji._

"_We have to get out of here." Ichigo said, searching the room for Byakuya before he was forced to move his friends out of the path of several maddened women who had seen them and chosen to run at them, mouths wide and gapping as they sought a fresh meal._

_The three of them started running, ducking and diving through the crowd of crazed beings and towards the staircase. They were joined mid escape by Byakuya who grabbed the back of Ichigo's shirt and changed their course, forcing them into the kitchen. The man locked them in and pressed himself against the door to prevent it from being knocked in before he yanked his mobile from his pocket._

"_What the hell is going on?!" Ichigo exclaimed as he checked out of the kitchen windows and ran his hands through his hair._

"_I-I don't know..." Rukia stuttered, biting her thumb nail in anxiety._

"_Quiet," Byakuya hissed as he held his phone to his ear, "Rikichi? Yes it's Byakuya, the virus has been released in the city, I require the helicopter to be brought to the mansion so that Rukia; myself and some of her friends can escape."_

_Ichigo turned and stared at the raven haired man as he finished his call, "Virus? You... You know what's happening?"_

"_Of course. Three weeks ago I received a phone call dictating that the virus my father had helped fund would be released on the city in revenge for him having pulled his funds out of the research before his death. And it has now happened." The man responded stoically._

"_Father was involved?" Rukia asked._

"_Yes," he nodded, "As you know, the company sponsors some small businesses and a month before his death our father sponsored a science business interested in vaccinations and viral cures. So they said. Father was less than impressed with their attitude and eventually withdrew his funding."_

"_What is this virus?" Renji asked, "Those people out there... They were acting like animals... Like something out of a horror movie!"_

"_I have no idea what the virus is... But what it does..." Byakuya closed his eyes, "High infectious with no cure and no way of coming back from it, once infect the virus destroys life and reanimates the body with hunger and desire."_

"_Fuck..." Ichigo breathed, "You mean they are like fucking zombies don't you?"_

"_Regrettably, yes."_

"_Shit!" the strawberry slammed his hands on the island table in the middle of the kitchen, "What do we do?"_

"_We run as fast as we can and prepare to protect ourselves." Byakuya answered quietly, "Rikichi is the only other person in the company who knew about the virus because my father took him on a walk around of the laboratory he was funding. The boy has been on high alert since I received the warning phone call; he will be here in the helicopter shortly. We should get to the roof."_

_The four of them lingered for a moment before they watched Byakuya snap a control panel from under the island table open, tapping a few numbers with his long fingers there was a gentle whirring sound and the cherry wood counter clicked and broke in half, separating to reveal an assortment of guns hidden in the counter._

"_Bloody hell..." Ichigo breathed before he snuck a hand in and stole two sawn off shot guns and a heap of ammunition which he slung diagonally over his torso before he also pinched a handgun and slotted it into the belt of his jeans._

_It only took a few moments for the other three to empty the counter of the weaponry they wanted before they shared a long look and headed for the kitchen door._

_Ichigo rested an ear against the wood and closed his eyes, listening carefully and tensing as he heard a low growl. With only two inches of pine wood separating him from a grisly fate the orange haired male pulled the handgun from his side again and made sure it was loaded before he turned the safety off and rested his fingers on the key which was still in the lock._

_The sound of helicopter blades spurred him on as he turned the key and yanked the door open, lifting the gun and shooting the formerly pretty blonde woman on the other side between the eyes before he set off down the hallway, the others following him closely._

_Gunfire echoed through the mansion, stirring those who remained in the rooms and drawing them to the group of four. Ichigo, Byakuya, Rukia, and Renji fought their way towards the staircase and headed up it. Byakuya and Ichigo shot at anything in their path while Rukia and Renji covered the rear and shot anything they had missed._

_They reached the next floor and Byakuya lead the way down towards the hatch to the attic; the raven haired male jumped up, grabbing the end of the ladder and yanking it down before he ushered Ichigo and the other two up. He followed and pulled the ladder up after himself, slamming the hatch shut again before he lead them to the escape hatch which would lead them out onto the roof where they could take the helicopter._

_Rukia cried out as she snagged her leg on a sharp piece of wood which cut into her skin as the four of them scrambled out and looked around, seeing the black helicopter above them which was slowly descending, they were also able to glimpse the devastation on the streets below. There was blood and fire, crashed cars and dropped possessions._

"_This is... Hell on Earth..." Rukia whispered._

"_I can't believe this is real... Any moment I think I'll wake up." Ichigo agreed and watched as Renji lifted the small woman up as her leg failed to fully support her weight, before he looked around as the helicopter landed and Byakuya climbed aboard, "Come on... We should go."_

_They were about to take off when the roof hatch opened again and several of the 'zombies' from inside the building scrambled up out of it; simultaneously pulling their pilot from the cockpit. Swearing loudly, Byakuya lunged through the helicopter and yanked the controls, forcing them up into the air as he scrambled into the chair Rikichi had just been pulled from._

_Ichigo's eyes widened and without any thought for his own safety he grabbed the safety cable and jumped down out of the flying machine, shooting the monsters with deadly accuracy and running towards the young man who had piloted their getaway._

"_Take my hand!" he yelled, reaching out to the young man._

"_I can't!"_

_He spluttered, "Yes you can! Just reach up and take my hand!"_

_The young man stood up slowly and looked at him, "You don't understand..." he turned his face and showed him the deep bite mark in his face, "It's too late..."_

_Ichigo's mouth fell open and he felt his breath hitch, "I... I'm sorry..."_

"_Don't me... Just... Look after Mr Kuchiki... He was a good boss..." the kid replied with a smile which wavered as blood began pouring from between his lips._

_Ichigo faltered slightly and closed his eyes as he was lifted off the roof, still dangling by the cable; he lifted his handgun and fired a single bullet, landing the blow in the centre of the boy's forehead and ending him in an instant, "Pull me up!" he yelled as more of the monsters poured out of the roof like a cloud._

_They flew through the night, unsure if it was safe to go anywhere and knowing that there wasn't enough petrol to get them far enough away from the city as to ensure them safety._

_As dawn broke the total massacre of the streets and houses was revealed by the scarlet morning light which shone between buildings and reflected off the fresh wet blood which splattered the ground and the walls._

_Ichigo leaned against the wall as he replayed Rikichi's end, telling himself that he could have saved him if he had been faster, stronger. That was when he saw a brunet haired man being chased down the corridor of a large pharmaceutical company through the floor to ceiling window._

_His eyes sharpened and he grabbed his guns, "Byakuya! Go to the roof of that building!" he yelled before he grabbed the safety cable once again, making sure he was strapped up properly before he took a run and jump, aiming his guns towards the window. If he could help it, he wasn't letting anyone else die!'_

Ichigo opened his eyes slowly from a restless sleep and tilted his head as he shuffled in the musty armchair he had taken refuge in. He sat forwards and reached out, resting a hand on Aizen's forehead as he checked his temperature. He sighed softly and ran his fingers through his hair, _'Just hold on Aizen... Grimmjow... We're gonna save you for sure.'_


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you as always for the lovely reviews! I hope you enjoy the chapter and the new characters being introduced!**

**Chapter Seven: Science:**

It took them two days to locate a suitable science facility; it was in the centre of the city, not overly far away from the mall they had encountered previously, yet far enough away for them not to panic overly about a repeat. In fact, they had seen no Infected for two days, the city had fallen silent, and it was more unnerving than when it had been before.

Szayel had been like an overexcited child in a sweet shop upon finding the facility; only Grimmjow had been able to stomach his exaggerated moods; the blue haired man had hardly left his side since the argument at the motel, his own mood was darker in light of him discussing his former lover. No one dared set foot near the man without good reason.

As they exited their vehicles and gathered their bags, they hastened into the science laboratory: a large white, but not overly presumptuous, building with reinforced glass doors and a small car park. The thirteen of them made their way up the front steps and into the building with Ichigo and Ulquiorra in the lead, checking for any signs of Infected beings.

The facility was like a maze or a fort, with new intersections of corridors every few yards and rooms upon rooms of equipment and desks and paper work. Left and abandoned in haste when the Infected had arrived. Yet curiously there was no blood in the place, it was clean and well kept. A worrying factor which suggested another set up like the mall.

With this in mind, they were on their guard, using a map of the building to find their way to the underground warehouse were Szayel could select what he needed to assist in synthesising his cure.

There was, of course, no electricity in the building which meant the elevators weren't working and concluded with a descent down three floors of stairs until they would reach their destination. It was annoying an inconvenient but no one voiced their complaints for fear of triggering one of Grimmjow's newly developed mood swings.

The clatter of heels on the metallic stairs echoed loudly throughout the building, heightening their senses and their tension. Not a word or sound passed their lips, their eyes forever trained on the space in front of them, lest they be attacked without warning.

Ichigo held out a hand and stopped Ulquiorra from taking another step, his own senses tingling and prickling like hawthorns in his skin, his eyelids slipped closed over his chestnut eyes and he slowed his breathing. They were near the entrance to the warehouse, but there was something not quite right, something was there in the room ahead of them...

"Wait here." He breathed near silently before he lifted a handgun by his head so he could take aim with quick and efficient ease should he encounter any resistance.

On light feet, the strawberry haired male stepped forwards, clearing the last few stairs without difficulty; he reached out in the darkened hallway and felt a large and heavy bolt across the double doors. He grasped it and slowly cracked it open, pushing one of the doors and crept inside the room.

Grimmjow made a noise of protest as the door swung shut behind him but Aizen silenced him with an icy look, "Trust in him." The brunet stated simply, nodding as the blue haired male shrank back.

Ichigo followed his senses, step by step making his way across the vast flooring of the warehouse; he kept his flashlight off despite the pitch black state of the room, not daring to light it in case he roused the attention of another being. Yet, although he couldn't see the room he could see the outlines of pillars and boxes, he wondered if it was again to do with the virus he had been injected with. Just one of the many changes he was experiencing...

He stopped dead as he heard a crack off to his left before he gasped as he was flooded with brilliant white light, shielding himself out of reflex before snarling like a captured animal as he felt the barrel of a gun pressed against the back of his head.

Swirling on the spot and ducking simultaneously he grabbed the wrist of his assailant and twisted roughly, hearing the gun clatter to the ground he lifted a leg and kicked his attacker hard in the stomach. He heard a grunt and a groan before he had a strong hand wrap around the back of his neck and squeeze, effectively weakening him momentarily before he let out a roar and used the stranger's strength against them, flipping himself upwards and using his grip on the other's arm to lift his body. He heard a long groan before they both landed on the floor, pointing a gun at each other's temple.

His eyes finally adjusted to the blinding light above him, slowly releasing the squint he had taken on, Ichigo focused for the first time on the person he had been wrestling with.

It was a man, with shaggy brown hair and icy cobalt eyes framed with long dark lashes; he was well built with rippling muscles revealed under the tight fitting white vest he was wearing. Ichigo also took note of the green khaki trousers and black boots the man was wearing, before his eyes were drawn by the silver dog tags around his neck.

"A soldier? Here?" he asked suspiciously.

"Is that really the strangest thing you've encountered?" the other man asked in a deep baritone, his voice slightly drawly and bored.

"I guess not." The strawberry answered before he lowered his gun and stood up, "You fight well." He added as he held out a hand to assist the other.

"I was trained to do so," the other said as he accepted the hand and got to his feet as well, "You however were not, and yet, you fight well also."

"Heh, just stuff you pick up in a hell hole like this eh?" Ichigo chuckled as he put his side arm back in its holster; looking up at the large light which had blinded him, "You've got... Electricity down here?"

"Yeah," the soldier responded, "I know the rest of the world is in black out but this whole facility was powered by solar power and considering that there is still a sun in the sky there is still electricity here."

"Fantastic!" Ichigo grinned, "Hang on a minute I've got some friends waiting outside... Any chance of turning on the other lights?"

"Sure..."

Ichigo nodded and turned, walking swiftly back over to the entrance he had come from; he opened the door and stuck his head out, "Come in, I've met a friend. _And_ we have electricity in here... What more can you ask for?!"

"Electricity?" Szayel repeated, "Well that will make my job a hell of a lot easier! Say no more!"

The pink haired man slinked past the strawberry hybrid and into the warehouse room beyond, revelling in the light from the huge industrial light bulbs above him; the others followed after him in a gaudy silence.

The warehouse was now alight thanks to the soldier and Ichigo could see that it was filled with strategically placed crates and mental tanks which hissed quietly every ten minutes; releasing small tufts of white smoke.

Ichigo closed the door after them and headed over as he saw the soldier return and come under the scrutiny of his companions, "He's alright, he's the guy I mentioned."

"Why is there a soldier hiding at the lowest level of a science facility?" Szayel asked bluntly, "Shouldn't you have been out with your platoon or whatever?"

"I was with my squad," he responded with a sigh, "Thirty men and women were deployed to the city after the viral outbreak, our mission was to neutralise the Infected citizens and restore order however our line was broken forty-six hours in and we were all but annihilated by the Infected."

"But you survived?" Aizen asked as he leaned against one of the crates, breathless and sweaty.

"Naturally, I was the superior officer with the most experience," he sighed and ran his fingers through his long hair, "Once the line broke on the streets I knew it was pointless, there were soldiers running everywhere, gunfire was wild and hitting more of our own side than the enemy's. I left the field, an act of cowardice I know, but it was that or die."

"You did the right thing." Ichigo said quietly, "There was nothing you could do. I am sure your men would have rather someone survived to strike back than everyone to be wiped out..."

He chuckled weakly, "I sure hope so, or else when I reach them in heaven or hell they are I'll be getting my ass kicked."

"What is your name by the way?" Aizen asked, "I'm Aizen Sousuke, that is Grimmjow; Szayel; Ulquiorra; Nelliel; Kenpachi; Nnoitra; Inoue; Ishida; Renji; Rukia; Byakuya and-"

"Ichigo." The strawberry said, reaching out to shake the soldier's hand.

"Captain Coyote Stark," the man responded as he shook the proffered limb, "Can I ask why you have all come here? What do you hope to find beyond safety?"

Szayel, who had been exploring the crates and tanks, appeared once again and brushed his hair back in his usual flamboyant manner, "I am a scientist, we have a vial of the original virus, we have a party member who has been Infected but unaffected negatively and we have two party members who are slowly dying of Infection. There is a chance I can synthesise a cure of the virus and save them, so we have been searching for a decent laboratory where I can work. We stumbled across this place and considering that there is working electricity..."

"We have running water too," Stark added, "But that aside, I have some science knowledge so I can assist you. Before I joined the army I was a physics and biotechnology graduate."

"Oh excellent and understudy!" the pink haired man cooed eagerly.

"Wait..." Grimmjow grumbled as he moved forwards through the group, "Who's '_we_'?"

"Ah..." the soldier sighed and looked away for a moment, "One other member of my platoon survived the assault on the city. She is on the upper levels cleaning."

"Cleaning?" Ichigo repeated.

"Yes... She finds it soothing to set things back in order. My companion was the chief medical officer of the platoon and had to deal with several of the first soldiers who were bitten and Infected, the... Cleaning is her way of staying in control of the situation."

"Who is she?" Rukia asked quietly.

"It would be easier if I introduced you to her," he gestured for the doors, "I can show you to the larger laboratory while we are finding her. And if anyone wants to wash and shower I can show you the shower room as well."

"Sounds like a fair deal." Aizen murmured and rested a hand on Ichigo's back as the group slowly tricked out of the room once again.

Ten minutes later, while over half of their company had dispersed to take showers, Ichigo; Aizen and Grimmjow were being led into a small laboratory by Stark, where they could see a fairly tall woman thoroughly cleaning the already sparkling white table tops.

The woman had her back to them, but they could see that she was strongly built with a matronly figure and jet black hair which had been scooped forwards over her shoulders. There was a fiercely commanding presence which rolled off her, compared to Stark's laid back personality was even more overbearing... And she hadn't even spoken yet!

"If any of you have just trodden dirt on that floor I'll have you scrubbing them until your fingers are numb." She said in a voice so soft and gentle it was hard to believe they were serious, and yet there was just the right amount of vocal pressure behind each syllable to make them believable and severe.

"Relax, they're friends, and there's no dirt." Stark responded as he walked closer, "They've come here to try and synthesise a cure for the Infection. There is a scientist among them so I will be helping them. There are also two who have been bitten but with slow signs of transformation so I was hoping you would take a look at their wounds."

"Very well." The woman set her sponge aside and peeled off the rubber gloves she had been wearing before she turned around to face the three other men in the room, "How do you do?"

A few minutes later, Aizen was having the bite mark in his shoulder cleaned by the woman: she had insanely long black hair which was platted under her chin and bound with thick binds; her eyes were round and soft, not a dissimilar shade to Byakuya and Rukia's; her face was heart shaped and she wore a continual smile which transformed into something more forceful when she was refused. Her name was Unohana Retsu, the Chief Medical Officer from the Beta squadron sent in to defend the city.

"Thank you, ma'am." Aizen murmured as she finished on his shoulder and began checking over Grimmjow's bite mark plus several bruises he had acquired along the journey.

"It's no problem, please call me Retsu." She responded without look up from her work.

"Do the two of you intend to stay here?" Ichigo asked from where he was leaned against the wall with Stark.

"As long as it remains safe them yes," the man answered, "We haven't got anywhere else to go and there's just the two of us, despite out training we would be as good as dead if we got caught in a horde."

"I guess that is true... You could always come with us though. We've grown slowly from a group of four to a group of thirteen. And your skills would only go to make things even better in the odds against the Infected." The strawberry smiled weakly, "And eventually the Infected are gonna find you here anyway, so it would be better for you to come with us, mingle with a crowd and keep on the move."

"I... We will consider it. Thank you." He smiled in return before he looked around as his companion finished her work.

Unohana stepped back and removed the medical gloves she had applied while dealing with the pair, "You said a member of your group had been infected but showed no signs of negative impacts..."

"Yes," Ichigo replied carefully, "Why?"

"What sort of effects is the person experiencing instead?" she asked.

"Superior strength, speed, agility; as well as a complete overhaul of the five senses, their sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell have become heightened and more alert, to the extent of being able to see in the dark to a degree. There is also some minor mood swings and and increased ability to comprehend things from the Infected's point of view." the strawberry reeled off; ignoring the look he got from Aizen as he stated the final article.

"I see, how curious." She murmured, "Are you sure this person is of no danger to the rest of your group?"

"Absolutely. Despite a slightly raised temperature the subject has shown no other symptoms related to the virus nor the Infected." He answered, folding his arms.

"That is good... So I presume that by using your blood the scientist will hope to find a genetic mutation that will allow him to create his cure?"

"Yes... Wait, how did you know it was _my_ blood?" he asked with a frown.

Chuckling, she turned towards him slowly, her large eyes hiding much of the turmoil beyond them, "I watched on the cameras as you took Stark down in the warehouse, it was easy to deduce that it was you because you were able to track him so perfectly in the dark. But you were blinded momentarily in the light, an eye sensitivity I have already linked to the heightened sight of the Infected."

Ichigo scoffed, "Blimey... You are good."

"Thank you." She smiled slightly before sitting down, "Your scientist friend is on the right track of course, using the blood of someone who has bonded with the Infection is an excellent place to begin when considering an antidote, as well as possessing the blood of two people with the Infection who are not currently 'zombies' and a sample of the original virus. All of which you have. And this place has all the equipment you could need."

"I'm glad you agree," Szayel said as he entered the room, freshly washed and looking a darn sight happier for it, "Of course I have already seen that there is one thing we don't have here..."

"What?" Grimmjow asked from his seat.

"Syringes." The pinked haired male responded, "And they are most crucial if I am to be taking blood samples from you guys."

"We'll find you some." Ichigo said instantly, "We passed a pharmacy on the way here... We can take a small group to get what we need; considering the distance from there to here we probably only need two people."

"I'll go." Aizen said as he stood up and brushed his suit down, "Anything to keep my mind occupied."

"Alright... Well I'm coming with you," Ichigo said, raising an eyebrow as the other made to protest, "No arguments."

"I thought I was the leader of this group..." the brunet muttered but smiled at the strawberry.

"In your dreams maybe." The other said with a sly grin, "Come on, the sooner we go the sooner we can get back."

"Agreed. Let's go," he turned to Grimmjow, "Have Ulquiorra, Ishida, and Inoue set up a long ranged cover for us out of some of the top floor windows in case of Infected stragglers."

"Will do." The blue haired man said as he got to his feet and headed past to inform the trio of their jobs.

Ichigo and Aizen looked at each other as they walked down the road towards the pharmacy; there was still no sign of any Infected which was becoming both a blessing and a concern. However, it also meant that they were unhindered and they reached their objective quickly.

Pushing open the entrance, Ichigo stuck a sawn off shotgun barrel through the gap before he slid in himself and made quick work of analysing the large pharmaceutical shop, Aizen stepped in behind him and shut the door again.

"Did your company stock this place?" the strawberry asked his companion.

"Uh, give me a moment..." the brunet walked over to one of the shelves and inspected several articles of medicine, "Yeah. Painkillers, cough remedies, glucose tablets..."

"Cool. We should probably grab some of them... The painkillers I mean."

"Already on it." Aizen chuckled and filled a small backpack with boxes of aspirin.

Ichigo made his way further back into the shop and into the stock room so he could find the syringes they needed. He broke into the metal store box which was attached to the wall and plundered a couple of phials of morphine in case anyone was seriously injured before he made a thorough search for the syringes and needles.

Aizen ran a hand through his hair and sealed the backpack up; that was when he heard the first moan, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he slowly turned around and looked at the entrance door; his mouth going dry as he saw four Infected lumbering inside.

He swallowed hard and slowly reached back, wrapping a hand around the hilt of his katana; he unsheathed it and licked his lips as he prepared to fall upon the creatures like a madman.

Rushing into the fray he lopped the heads off two of them, severed a hand off another, and kicked a fourth back out of the door. The noise must have alerted Ichigo because the strawberry was suddenly there, his hands wrapped around the handless Infected's head and with a single sharp twist snapped the spinal cord and rendered the undead re-dead.

The pair shared a glance before they looked out of the front windows and swore in unison as they saw a whole horde heading in their direction, "Where the _fuck_ did they suddenly come from again?"

"I don't know... It's like someone is playing a game with us... Come on, we have to block the entrance... Help me move these shelves." Aizen said.

Working together, the two men moved the shelves in the path of the door and windows, shielding themselves from the creatures outside. They both knew it would only last a certain amount of time before their safety net was finally pushed aside under the force of many corpse like limbs, but it would buy them some time at least.

Panting hard after the exertion, Aizen sat down against the wall, his veins were on fire and his muscles burned; he offered a weak smile as Ichigo sat beside him.

"Well don't we... Have excellent luck?" the brunet gasped out.

"Like fuck we do." The strawberry snorted, "No sign of them for days and then a whole pack of them at once? Tch... Fuck's sake..."

"It'll be okay." Aizen murmured.

"Yeah... Ulquiorra and the others will have seen them, no doubt they will all be stupid enough to risk their lives for ours." Ichigo sighed.

The older of the two chuckled and reached out, putting his arm around the other's shoulders and pulling him closer. Ichigo didn't complain, he sank into the touch and let out a pent up breath as he heard the hammering of hands against the glass and the doors.

"Well... There is one good thing." He said after a moment.

Aizen looked down at him, "What?"

"Neither of us are gonna die from being bitten, they'll have to eat us for us to die." He said with a weak twitchy smile.

"Yeah... Yeah that's true... I feel better already." He laughed and kissed the mess of orange spikes resting against his chest.

Ichigo looked up at him again and licked his lips in consideration for a moment, "I'm glad I rescued you from your office that day. You did a good job leading everyone... Keeping them safe."

"I'm pretty glad you saved me too." He laughed, "I did the best I could, it wasn't enough to stop Grimmjow getting bitten or you kidnapped by a crazed scientist."

"Don't beat yourself up... In an apocalypse you do the best you can, you can't take a second to doubt yourself or look back because it will get you killed... You can only do what you can do... Nothing more or less." Ichigo sighed, reaching up and cupping his cheek.

"Heh, see this is why _you_ should be leading us... You've got everything a leader needs..."

"So have you idiot." The orange haired man muttered, dropping his hand again and closing his eyes, "You stupid, lovable idiot."

"Lovable?" Aizen repeated.

"Don't pretend you don't know. Every time I sit on your lap in the Jeep you get excited." He smirked.

Aizen smirked slightly, "Well, I won't lie. You are absolutely right. Allow me to show you."

Ichigo opened his eyes as he felt a pair of lips on his and he went red in the face, but his embarrassment and surprise didn't stop him from returning the kiss.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you for the amazing response to the last chapter! I hope this one proves just a good! And finally Aizen and Ichigo get some action! And so does Szayel... But not in the same way *insert evil laugh***

**Warning:**** Adult themed Yaoi :)**

**Chapter Eight: Love At First Bite:**

He had never seen a larger horde of Infected in his post-apocalyptic life. Hundreds of them had swarmed from every alley and backstreet, all cumbersome in clothes which gave implications about the lives they had lived before hell had descended onto Earth. Doctors, nurses, teachers, school children, lawyers and soldiers, there was even a bride and groom couple in the fray of it. All of them were groping and growling and forcing their way closer to the pharmacy into which Aizen and Ichigo had ventured.

Ulquiorra knew that there were too many down there to stop completely, and yet in keeping with the loyalty he felt towards the brunet who had saved his life, he opened fire on the undead. Bolts flew from his acid green crossbow with bone shattering strength, and it wasn't long before they were joined by the sniper fire from his fellow long ranged shooters.

There was an edge of panic in their assault, each bullet, each arrow and bolt needed to count for something against a force so large. It was all for Aizen and Ichigo.

Word must have spread of their companions entrapment as the facility doors banged open, moments later Nnoitra, Kenpachi, Grimmjow and Nelliel were sweeping across the vast seeming space between the laboratory and the facility, each with melee weapons in hand.

Giving them as much cover as possible, he watched the four busting Infected heads. He noted, with inner glee, that between their shooting and their ground assault they were carving a pathway through the horde at a good and steady rate.

Then, without warning, the unimaginable happened; the doors into the pharmacy were blown out by a massively strong force and knocked a line of the undead monsters across the street. Watching through the small zoom scope on his crossbow, Ulquiorra watched as a blur of orange flitted from the store into the mesh of partially decomposed corpses; every swing of his am and a slash of his black bladed sword, hacking their heads from their mangled bodies without remorse or feeling. He was followed by their esteemed leader, who also threw himself into the throes of battle, swinging the katana he had purloined from the armoury shop with deadly accuracy.

With more zeal in his fingers, Ulquiorra restarted his shooting once more, the ping of the crossbow drowned out by the gun fire from his allied fighters and the sounds of echoing ground level chaos.

They worked their way through the masses, Ichigo spared a glance for the brunet working at his side and granted a small smile before he ducked under the outstretched arms of a lurching zombie and turned on his heel to cleave the offending arms off with one gory slice.

The adrenaline was strong, pulsing, and pounding through his veins like liquid iron, strengthening his body and steeling his mind for action.

The duo met up with the rest of the attacking group, murmurs of concern were passed around before a consensual agreement was met in silence and they all turned and fled the remnants of the horde. There were too many of the undead for them to continue fighting so they had to do it. It was for their own safety and self preservation.

But they never anticipated that the Infected would be so quick to react and following them with such organisation. It was like a game of cat and mouse, and regrettably they were the mice. It was only the cover fire from the upper windows of the laboratory facility which prevented them from being overrun; lucking when they reached the doors of the instillation Stark; Unohana; Byakuya and Rukia were waiting with a fully operational barricade to keep the doors closed and the Infected out.

The group ran inside, panting and swearing as they watched the others shut and lock the doors before moving the barricade into place just in the nick of time. The sound of dozens of bodies hitting the doors thundered through the foyer like a bomb going off.

"Is everyone alright?" Unohana asked after a moment as she looked at the group from the street.

"Think so." Nnoitra responded breathlessly.

"What about you two?" she enquired as she turned to Ichigo and Aizen.

"We're fine." The brunet answered, taking Ichigo's hand and helping him to his feet, "Nothing a strong cup of tea and a shower won't solve."

"Good, I am relieved." The austere woman smiled, "Did you get what you needed?" she added.

"Yeah," Ichigo lifted a small bag of syringes and phials, and various other articles, "I'll go drop this off with Szayel and then grab a shower." He decided.

The strawberry smiled at Aizen before he tottered off up the stairs to find their resident scientist to deliver the goods; he came to a stop outside of the laboratory in which Szayel had taken refuge as he saw the pink haired male was being comforted (to an extent) by Grimmjow. A moment of confusion filled Ichigo, as he didn't recall seeing Grimmjow leave the foyer ahead of him. He shrugged it off and went to push the door open, hesitating again as he watched he blue haired male press a kiss to the top of the pink haired man's head.

Deciding it was best to pretend that he hadn't seen anything, Ichigo pushed the doors open, "Hey Szayel, I've got the stuff you wanted, I hope you can put it to good use. Don't fancy having to go back out there to get more." He laughed as he walked between the white marble-effect counters towards the pair of men.

Grimmjow's back stiffened and squeezed Szayel's shoulder before he walked passed gruffly, not bothering to stop and apologise as he knocked into Ichigo and almost sent him flying. Ichigo frowned at this and turned around to yell at the man, faltering when he found that he had already gone.

"What's his problem?" the strawberry asked as he sat on the stool next to the scientist.

"His condition is deteriorating," Szayel responded mechanically, "He has begun developing a kind of... Mental link with the Infected, he came up to tell me that while he was fighting in the street he felt as though he could understand the way they act and their hunger for blood and flesh."

"O-Oh..." Ichigo faltered slightly, "How long... Do you think he had left?"

The pink haired genius sighed heavily and took the bag off the other man, "A lot less time unless I start working on this cure. So, if you don't mind I want to take a few samples of your blood before you go scurrying off."

He sighed as the scientist dodged his question, but rolled up his sleeves without complaint and rested his arm on the table, looking away as Szayel extracted his blood.

"You were experimented on for weeks and you're scared of this little needle?" Szayel smirked.

"I wasn't conscious when Kurotsuchi experimented on me," He responded, "So I never knew anything about it."

"I see," the genius looked up at him, "And despite being the only human to survive being infected with the virus, and having been made into some kind of super-human hybrid your biggest concern is about being stabbed with a little pin?"

"Oh do shut up."

"As you wish." Szayel chortled to himself as he took three vials of Ichigo's blood for testing, "There, all done, that wasn't so bad was it? I may need some more at a later date but for now I am done."

"Thank you ever so much." Ichigo muttered sarcastically before he hopped off the stool and headed for the glass exit; he stopped suddenly and looked around at the man, "Szayel?"

"What is it now?"

"... Nothing. Doesn't matter." He decided after a moment.

"Spit it out Ichigo." The other said firmly.

Ichigo sighed slightly but licked his lips, "Would you be able to turn me back?

Make me normal again?"

Szayel looked around at him slowly and pushed his glasses up his nose slightly, "If it's what you want I will give it a try-"

"Thank you yes."

"I wasn't finished!" he said sharply, "I was going to say: if that is what you want then I will give it a try, however, before doing that you should remember that you are our greatest weapon at the moment. With the speed and strength of an Infected, yet with the higher brain functions of a fairly intelligent human being, not quite on par with myself of course, and you have the instinct of a dangerous killer. You are our greatest hope of combating the Infected."

Ichigo stared for a moment, "And I should what? Sacrifice my own humanity for that cause? You've done okay so far!"

"On the contrary, we have two comrades who are suffering with the Infection and a horde so large it could populate a small town banging on the front doors. How do things look _okay_ to you?!" he argued.

Ichigo swallowed and looked down for a moment, running his hands through his hair and swore, leaving the laboratory and half slamming the door shut behind him before he stalked off in the direction of the showers.

Szayel watched him go before he sighed and looked back at the young man's blood samples, tilting his head as he saw that the blood was already beginning to coagulate, "Well fuck me sideways..." he murmured and took preventative measures but popping them in the mini fridge he had on his table. He stared at the blood for a little while longer before he picked up a pen and began writing about the preliminary findings of the blood he had taken.

Meanwhile, Aizen was happily showering the Infected grime from his skin, his fingers lingered over the slowly healing bite mark on his shoulder; a sigh escaped him as a moment of fatigue washed over him and he ended up leaning against the wall heavily, his eyes closed and his breathing shallow.

"Hey are you alright?"

He looked around suddenly as he heard Ichigo's voice and went slightly pink in the cheeks as he came to realise he was butt naked in front of the young man he had some form of feelings for, he paused for a moment as he saw that Ichigo was also stripping off ready to step under the water flow of the shower beside him.

"Hey, earth to Sousuke? Are you alright?" Ichigo as he finished stripping and hung his clothes up o the designated pegs.

"Ah, yes I'm perfectly fine. Just tired." He responded as he tore his eyes away from the delectable body in front of him and soaped himself up to continue washing.

"I'm not surprised," the strawberry murmured as he stepped under the flow of the water and sighed as it sluiced over his body, "It's been pretty stressful."

"Too right." he agreed, watching the younger man out of the corner of his eye."

"So," Ichigo began casually, "I've been _thinking _about that kiss in the Pharmacy..."

Aizen stiffened slightly and cleared his throat, "Well, yes about that, I apologise if I made you uncomfortable. But I thought we were going to die and..."

"So you didn't mean anything by it?" the strawberry asked, just a hint of disappointment in his voice as he began washing his hair lethargically.

"Well I wouldn't say that..." he paused and trailed off as his eyes became drawn to the young man beside him.

The younger man met his gaze with a small smirk, "Seen something you like?"

"Yes." He said quietly.

Eyes widened in slight surprise, Ichigo rinsed the shampoo out of his hair and pushed his orange locks back off his face, looking at the brunet curiously, "You... Like me?"

He received no reply other than the passion fuelled kiss against his lips, he melted like butter against the man and snaked his arms around him slowly, letting out a moan into the kiss before he gasped as Aizen took the opportunity to slip his tongue into his mouth and molest his own tongue.

The hot water which doused them from the over head shower, mixed with the warm steam which swirled around them and the feeling of their wetted skin gliding and pressing together heightened their senses.

Ichigo slid his hands up Aizen's arms slowly before he reached his shoulders, cupping the nape of his neck in one hand and rested his other palm against his cheek as he returned the hungry and heated kiss.

With a low moan, the strawberry pushed the brunet back slightly; looking up at him with kiss bruised lips, "W-We shouldn't do this here... Someone could walk in..." he said breathlessly, brushing his fingers back and forth over the other man's slick skin.

"You are right," Aizen responded, his voice winded and husky, "What is being done about sleeping arrangements?"

"I believe there are residential rooms on the top floor, so Stark suggested, we've each been allocated a room. Mine is number 15. You can... Come and see me in a bit if you want?"

"I do want, very much so." The brunet murmured, leaning down and kissing his jaw slowly, "Keep your door unlocked."

"It will be." He whispered, his eyes slipping shut as the other's mouth continued its devious adventure down his neck.

"Good." Aizen said against the crook between his shoulder and his neck before he finally pulled back and finished washing himself.

It was quarter past ten, Ichigo was reclining on his bed in room 15, and staring out of the large window beside him; the sky was as black as could be decorated with Swarovski crystal like stars and a glittering full moon which hung high in the canvas of darkness, providing a good light source.

The orange haired male, grateful for the stability of the science facility had gotten changed into a pair of pale blue drawstring pyjama bottoms, leaving his chest nude in reflection of the warmth of the room; using the small bedside lamp next to him, he enjoyed the first two chapters of a book left by the previous occupant of the room.

He paused as he heard a quiet creak outside of his door and he put his book down on the slightly battered bedside cabinet, sitting up properly and resting his feet on the carpeted floor as he watched the door open slowly.

His pupils dilated as, to his pleasure, he saw the brunet haired man of his desires slip into his room like a spectre. The snap of the door as it shut again roused Ichigo from his seat as he crossed the room like a man possessed and claimed the other's mouth as his own; instantly demanding entrance with a prodding and probing tongue, he slipped the muscle between his lips and teeth and let it mingle with Aizen's as a small whimper of a moan escaped him.

Arms encircling each other and bodies pressing close they staggered backwards, deeper into the room before the backs of Ichigo's knees hit the edge of the bed and he toppled back with a chuckle, pulling Aizen with him and leaning up into another lip smacking kiss.

Pyjamas were tossed aside without care and were discarded on the floor with haste and heat as hands and fingers, lips and tongues roamed and explored the skin and taut muscles. Moans and whines bounced from both their lips at the concoction of tender and rough touches they gave each other.

A gasp burst free from Ichigo as their arousals brushed, his back arched slightly as he tried to get greater friction and a groan escaped him before he gripped a fistful of brown hair and tore his soon to be lover into a feral kiss, all teeth and instinct, while his other hand dipped towards the bedside cabinet where he had placed a small tube of lubricant, ready for when his brunet visited.

He popped the cap and spread a generous dollop of the cool gel onto his fingers and reached down, curling them around the other man's member as he pumped him slowly, teasingly while at the same time coating him in the gel. Pressing the tube into one of Aizen's hand he laid back on the bed, letting his head fall back against the pillows as he was touched and fondled with skilled hands, whining out as gel coated fingers explore at his entrance and began to stretch him for what was coming next.

A cry escaped him as the other's fingertips suddenly pressed into his prostate and he saw white as his first orgasm washed over him. He blushed at how easily he had reached his climax but was met with a satisfied smile on the face of the brunet above him, and he was then granted a deep and penetrating kiss as the older man positioned himself at his entrance and eased into him.

The feeling of completion and fullness washed over him, he moaned out weakly; feeling head coil in his stomach, his arousal returned for a second time as his lover began to set up a steady and firm pace of pulling back and slamming back into him.

With the pressure building between them and their kisses getting more heated and more desperate, the dual thrusting of their hips growing more ragged and more forceful. A sudden feral growl escaped Aizen's lips and he bit down on Ichigo's neck, drawing blood and leaving teeth marks in his skin; Ichigo cried out at the feeling which only intensified their activities affects on his body.

With a moan, Ichigo rolled them, pinning his lover beneath him on the bed as he seated himself back astride him and rocked himself against his lap, meeting his bloodies lips with quick wet kisses as his movements grew more frantic, his face scrunching up slightly as he cried out and shuddered, his second release washing over him and causing him to collapse on top of the brunet as he felt him spill inside of him.

They lay in silence for several moments, Ichigo hummed contentedly as he felt the other's arms wrapping around him and holding him in place before he trembled slightly as his tongue swiped at the open wound on his neck.

"Did I hurt you?" Aizen whispered against his ear.

"No, not at all... It was intense." He responded sluggishly.

The brunet sighed softly, "I... Don't know what happened, a moment of seeing red and I just... Snapped at your neck..."

"It is the instinct of the Infection. If you feel the need again make sure you don't bite any of the others... There is a small chance you could Infect them. Biting me is safe... I'll just absorb the Infection again." He stated calmly.

"I... Will try not to bite anyone again. I am meant to be fighting this after all." He said firmly.

"Alright. But worry about it tomorrow."

"Okay." Aizen agreed, "Where does this leave us?"

"Mmm... You are insistent. Do you normally talk this much after sex?" Ichigo asked as he lifted his head.

"I can't remember... It's been a while." Aizen laughed.

"Fair enough..." he tilted his head, "Well, I like you; you like me... When we get a chance let's go for a date."

"Sounds good to me."

"Excellent... Now shut up and go to sleep, before I throw you out."

The brunet chuckled slightly and kissed the top of the strawberry's head before he rolled them so they were both lying on their sides and pulled the bed sheets up over them.

At the same time, downstairs in the laboratory Szayel was so busy testing Ichigo's blood samples and running them through the scanners and testing the original virus they had obtained that he had no idea what the time was. He was _fascinated_ and by far his love for science had been completely refreshed.

He held a smaller phial of Ichigo's blood up to the light and shook it gentle before he put it back in the fridge and began working his way through the pile of results he had taken, looking for a link between the blood and the virus, the blood and a cure.

It was unfortunate that he didn't have a sample of Ichigo's blood before he had been Infected, but he couldn't complain when he had such an interesting experiment to keep his mind unsullied and alive. It was all so _exciting_. He was discovering things he had never imagined possible, and it all lead to the ultimate conclusion that a cure was possible! But he really did need a blood sample from an uninfected person. It wouldn't be too hard; he had eleven people he could pick from, excluding himself... And convincing them to give him a blood sample wouldn't be too difficult either, all he would have to do was say it was for a scientific purpose. Which is was technically.

He didn't both looking up as he heard the lab doors open yet again but instead kept his nose close to the papers he was looking through as he reread what he had written. He only stopped when someone had the audacity to put their arms around his waist and give him a good squeeze. To which there was only one response.

He stabbed a syringe into the culprit's neck and put his thumb against the plunger, "If you don't release me _immediately_... I _will_ infect you with the virus." He hissed dangerously.

A small squeak escaped the culprit and the arms disappeared straight away, "Hey don't be so mean Doll."

"Ugh, Nnoitra." He groaned and stood up, turning before he retracted the syringe from the bastard's neck, "For goodness sake now I've contaminated one of the needles."

"Well you shouldn't have threatened me with it then should you?!" he exclaimed.

"You manhandled me! I have expressed on numerous occasions that I have absolutely no interest in you whatsoever but you keep pushing me!" Szayel barked, "I am in the process of working towards created a blood cure of the virus and you come in here to distract me?! GET OUT!" he yelled.

"Whoa... Chill out Doll-"

"I AM NOT A DOLL!" Szayel almost exploded with anger as he stalked towards the tall dark haired man and pressed his index finger into the centre of his forehead, "THAT is where I am aiming with my pistol if you EVER do this again. NOW GET OUT OF MY LABORATORY YOU SINGLE BRAIN CELLED AMOEBA!"

Nnoitra held up his hands and retreated quickly; half sprinting away from the lab once he was out of the door. Szayel watched him go before he let out a snarl of frustration and sat back down at his desk, staring at the paperwork for a moment before he stood up, turned away and punched one of the other counters, his teeth clenching as the marble effect counter cracked slightly under the force.


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you all for your wonderful reviews, I am glad the last chapter went down so well, this one is a little bit on the side, a bit of fun I suppose, I hope you enjoy it as well!**

**Side Note:**** A guest reviewer asked why Grimmjow was able to understand the Infected and yet Ichigo couldn't so if I may I will take a moment to explain the reason:**

**In all honesty I hadn't given it much thought before I was asked the question, however I came to the conclusion that Ichigo's body has accepted and to an extent mutated the Infection so he is a human with the Infection but he is not becoming a zombie/Infected. However Grimmjow IS slowly becoming one of them, and for that reason he is getting some feelings and some small understanding of them.**

**I hope that helps! :)**

**Chapter Nine: Forgive Me:**

It was early morning, the sun was barely peaking over the jagged building smothered horizon; there were more Infected outside of the science facility than there had been the day before and their moans were only just drowned out by the double-glazing, but it was something which everyone greatly appreciated, that and having a decent night's sleep for the first time since the start of the end of the world.

Grimmjow was already awake; he had already completed his old morning routine of relieving his bladder, showering, brushing his teeth, gelling his hair and psyching himself up for the day ahead. But ten minutes of pure glaring into the mirror had been added to that routine as he inspected the darkening circles under his eyes despite the peaceful sleep he had been gifted with.

He could no longer deny that he was getting sicker with each day, he considered bitterly as he made his way down to the laboratory where he had left Szayel working the night before.

The blue haired man paused as he came to a stop outside of the glass doors, frowning slightly at the state of the place. Pushing open the door slowly he glanced around, seeing scattered paper work, hissing experiments and Szayel slumped over a counter which had a dirty great crack in it.

He sighed and looked down for a moment, a sense of intense guilt washing over him before he set it aside and walked towards the pink haired male. There were so many things about Szayel which reminded him of Ilford, their sense of humour; the pouting; the sulking; the inner strength and the inner warmth which they had both always hidden from sight, and despite whatever Szayel said both brothers were exceedingly intelligent, Ilford simply chose not to brag about it 24/7.

Physically they were very dissimilar, what with Ilford's long blond hair and Szayel's neat candyfloss pink; Ilford's chocolaty brown eyes and Szayel's brilliant golden ones; Szayel was very pale and Ilford had been nicely tanned. Ilford had always been polite and modest whereas Szayel was a narcissistic perfectionist.

None of it mattered to him though, Grimmjow had loved Ilford with all his heart, the man had made him a kitten compared to the panther of a man he had once been, he had been tamed and collared by the man but the lead had snapped when Ilford had died. It felt like decades ago that it had happened, but it wasn't it was closer and it still hurt. But... At the same time there was one light in the darkness.

"Szayel?" he said softly, resting his hand on the scientist's back gently as he woke him from an exhaust fuelled slumber, "Hey, come on sleepy head, time to wake up."

"Wabanodo?" the pink haired man mumbled sleepily as he slowly lifted his head off the counter.

"Come again?"

"W-What time is it?" he asked as he wiped a small dribble of saliva from the corner of his mouth.

"Seven O'clock," the blue haired male responded as he brushed his hand against his back gently, "Are you feeling okay? You look... Peaky."

Szayel looked around at him slowly, his eyes still heavily lidded, "What do you think?" he breathed, his voice lacking its usual arrogance, "I had a visit from Nnoitra last night..."

Grimmjow frowned, "Oh? What did he want?"

"What do you think? He wanted his 'Doll'." He sneered weakly, "I may have gone a little out of control."

"What did you do?" he asked, sitting down beside him and looking at him intently.

He glanced down guiltily before he sighed, "I stabbed him in the neck with a syringe filled with the virus and threatened to inject him."

Szayel was shocked when Grimmjow simply laughed at him before he felt the man put an arm around his shoulders and squeeze him soothingly; he looked up at him and faltered slightly as he saw how rough the man looked and he instantly batted his arm aside and stood up, swiping his hair back off his face where it had fallen during his sleep period.

"I need to get back to work, Grimmjow, can you leave please." He said as more of a demand than a question.

"Wha-?" he frowned at the scientist's sudden change of demeanour and sighed, "You need some breakfast. If you don't your brain cells won't work as well as they should be."

"Ugh, I hate it when you use science against me." Szayel muttered but nodded in agreement. He stood up and swayed slightly, almost crumpling, but was saved at the last moment by Grimmjow's arms and they ended up on the floor together.

The blue haired male held him in his arms, remorse flooding through him like water through a river; he closed his eyes and let out a slightly shaky breath, "I'm sorry Szayel... I am so sorry... I... Ilford would be so fucking angry with me..."

"My brother isn't here anymore Grim, you need to stop acting like he is, and you need to move on. You need to forgive yourself for what happened to him, he made a choice... It got him killed. Move on." The scientist said quietly, without looking at him, closing his own eyes as he felt the man kiss him on the top of the head.

"But... What about what happened to you? That was my fault." He whispered.

Szayel tipped his head back so it was resting on Grimmjow's shoulder and looked up at him, "You are just in love with the self-flagellation aren't you?"

"Heh, yeah I am a little bit." He agreed, "I am also... In love with you, and that is why I think Ilford would be angry. It's not that I am still hung up over what happened to him... I understand what he did and I have come to terms with it... But I worry that he will think I have forgotten him..."

"You know I'm not good with the touchy feely stuff, Grim, but if it is worth anything I think my brother would just be glad that you aren't going to be alone. He would try to understand that you are in pain; you are suffering and you... You will never stop loving him, he would know that, but he wouldn't want you to stay alone forever." The pink haired man murmured.

Considering his words for a moment, Grimmjow smiled weakly, "You sure you aren't touchy feely?"

"Well... Maybe you make me a little touchy feely." He shrugged and looked at him, raising a hand, and brushing his cheek, "Try not to worry about me, I'll be fine."

"Says the one who collapsed on the floor." He muttered before he turned his head and kissed his fingers as they touched his cheek, "Promise me that you won't give in, I can't bear the thought of living without you now."

"I don't make that promise unless you do." Szayel said, with absolute certainty in his golden eyes.

Grimmjow looked at him for a long moment before he smiled, "Nothing in this world is going to keep me away from you." He whispered before he leaned down and kissed him with an abstract tenderness.

Grimmjow was uncertain when friendship and comfort had turned to love, but the feeling of loving someone after losing Ilford made him happy and ashamed at the same time. He knew in his heart that Ilford would understand, that he would be happy for him and he knew that if Ilford had wanted him to fall for anyone else in the world it would be Szayel.

That didn't stop him feeling like he was somehow betraying Ilford, like he was cheating and dishonouring his memory. He had to be truthful, it had started off with them comforting each other, and it had been sex and nothing more. It had started after Ilford's death (of course) but before they had grouped up with Aizen.

But then it had changed and become more than just physically comforting each other, it had become necessity, it had become passion and it had become emotion. It had... It was love, of a sort.

Szayel was less likely to _show_ his emotions that Ilford had been, but that was because the pink haired man was less trusting and more... Well, in truth he was more fragile. You would never know by looking or working with him, but he was emotionally fragile, afraid of revealing too much in case it came back to hurt him.

_Grimmjow let out a husky moan as he kissed the pink haired male heatedly, pushing him harder against the wall of the empty bathroom as he thrusted against him, groaning at the feeling of the other's muscles tight around him as they took out their frustration and their pent up sexual frustration on each other._

_It had been a long time since they had had even a moment to themselves, it was the only disadvantage of being in a larger group, but at last they had a few moments to themselves while everyone got ready to leave the mall. They had made their excuses, needing the toilet and needing to clean themselves up of zombie gore, meeting in the men's bathroom on the second floor so that they could have a quick moment alone._

_He had Szayel moaning and whimpering for more as his hands travelled the length of his body, massaging his muscles and gripping his hips tightly as he slammed into him harder and faster with each passing breath._

_A growl escaped his lips and he threw his head back, his eyes momentarily flickering gold before they returned to their normal cerulean hue; he leaned in and began kissing his way down the man's neck and throat, whispering constantly to him._

"_Ah... S-Szayel..." he breathed, leaning back up and pushing his tongue in his ear slowly, "I... Ngh... I love you..." he groaned as he jolted against him._

_Szayel tipped his head to the side and whimpered as his prostate was abused constantly, "Hnn... I... I love you too..." he cried out before his back arched as his muscles went into spasm around him suddenly and he released between them._

_The blue haired male let out a slight roar as he felt him climax and followed after him, lashing out without warning and sinking his teeth into his pectoral muscle, just below his collar bone as he came._

_As they came down from their endorphin fuelled high, Grimmjow pulled back slowly, his eyes wide with shock at his own actions before he raised his gaze hesitantly and met Szayel's._

"_Oh... Oh my God..." he panted as he pulled back carefully and pulled his trousers up, covering his slightly bloodied mouth with his hands as he staggered back and slid down the adjacent wall, "Oh my God... W... What have I done? Oh... Oh God... Oh God..."_

_Szayel swayed slightly, his lower back aching from their desecration; his chest aching from the bite, "Grim calm down..." he said quietly as he ran one of the taps and began washing the bite wound on his chest, "CALM DOWN!" he yelled as the blue haired man continued blubbing, "I'm trying to think."_

_As he finished cleaning the wound, he pulled a pack of bandages from his bag and wound them around his torso, sliding a thick piece of gauze between them and his injury as he did so. He tied it as he finished and pulled his own pants up before he walked over to Grimmjow and gave him a hard slap._

"_Pull yourself together." He hissed, "You aren't dead yet so don't you dare start giving in. Do you hear me? Only you can slow the time it takes for it to poison your system... The moment you start surrendering it is over. You hear me?"_

"_I... I hear you... But I... Szayel I..." he swallowed and ran a hand down his face as his eyes welled up slightly._

"_Yes, you bit me... But there is..." he paused and looked away, "There is chance it isn't Infectious so just stay calm. We need to keep this between ourselves okay? I might be able to make a cure and then we don't need to worry, so just calm down, and relax. I'm okay... I promise."_

"_I'm sorry... I'm so sorry." He whispered._

"_I know you are." Szayel breathed, running his fingers through his blue haired, "And so am I. But I promise you this Grim, I am going to make it right again. I just need you to keep it together for a little while longer; keep fighting and keep being stubborn."_

Grimmjow pulled back from the kiss and smiled weakly, "We'll fight this together. But first... Sustenance."

"Yes... More tinned fruit. Lovely."

"Not at all, I was talking to Stark last night and all those crate downstairs... Well half of them are filled with food. Cereal; frozen bread, pop tarts, cereal bars and... Oh there is all sorts. Let us go and find the man and we can take our pick." The blue haired man told him as he got to his feet and helped Szayel up as well.

"Oh my goodness... I will be totally spoiled for choice won't I!"

"Yes... I think you will."

As they exited the lab and headed down the stairwell together, Ichigo woke slowly in Aizen's arms, his eyes bleary, and his body stiff after having stayed in one position for so long.

A yawn broke free from his lips as he prised himself free slowly and sat up, stretching as he took in the sight of the brunet sleeping soundly beside him, his hair tousled and his expression peaceful.

Ichigo chuckled to himself and leaned down, brushing his index finger down the man's nose before he climbed out of bed, and stretched again, he paused as he passed a mirror in the room and blinked as he saw that the wound his lover had inflicted on him the previous night had completely healed. He glanced down for a moment before he shook it off and decided he would grab a shower before he woke the other man. Goodness knows the brunet deserved a bit of a lie in after everything that had been going on.

He headed for the en-suit bathroom, feeling more refreshed than he had in a long time; and as he stepped into the shower to cleanse himself of a night's worth of sweat he glanced downwards and caught sight of a reddened mark on the inside of his elbow where the needle had stabbed him while Szayel had been taking his blood. He touched it and gulped slightly as he watched the bruise fade before his very eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

**We have reached double figures ladies and gentlemen! Thank you very much for your constant support, I hope you continue to enjoy the story!**

**Chapter Ten: Fracture:**

Ichigo yawned as he finished his breakfast and stretched, watching as Grimmjow and Szayel exchanged quiet words over the other side of the table; he looked up as Stark sat beside him. He smiled in greeting and pushed his empty bowl away from him so he could rest against the table.

"Good night?" the brunet asked with amusement in his eyes.

"You could say that," he responded with a small smirk, "How did you know?"

"Well you look pretty content with yourself and there is a small bite on your neck." The soldier murmured.

Ichigo sighed and rubbed his neck, "Damnit... The man is an animal I swear."

"Well, considering what he is turning into..." Stark trailed off as the strawberry shot him a look.

"I know but that isn't what I was getting at," he sighed as the man lifted his hands in surrender, "Sorry... Tired."

Patting a hand on his back, "No problem. Ah, here is the man himself I will leave the two of you alone."

Ichigo watched as Stark headed over to one of the open crates to get himself some breakfast, but then turned his attention to the other brown haired man and offered a smile to him as Aizen strode over and sat beside him.

"I was worried when I woke alone." Aizen said under his breath as he was handed a bowl of cornflakes by Stark in passing.

"Sorry, you looked like you needed a while longer, so I left you to keep sleeping." He smiled, "How do you feel?"

"All the better for not having so much pent up frustration I assure you." He smirked slightly and leaned in, kissing him on the cheek slowly, "Nor am I ashamed of you."

Ichigo went scarlet as Grimmjow and Szayel glanced at them but turned his head and looked the man in the eye, "Flirt."

"Only for you." He chuckled and sat back slowly to eat his breakfast.

Rolling his eyes, the strawberry stood up and took his bowl to be washed, grabbing them a couple of small cartons of juice before he headed back over and set one down in front of him, "There. Never say I never give you anything."

"Oh thank you, your gifts overwhelm me." Aizen laughed.

"You're annoying."

"You love it."

"Maybe." Ichigo shrugged.

They both looked up as Szayel excused himself from the table and left the basement to return to his laboratory and Grimmjow ran a hand through his hair, smiling tersely at them both before he got up and followed after him.

"Does Szayel seem a little different to you?" Ichigo asked.

"A little more tense," the brunet agreed as he took a slurp of juice, "I'm sure he's just worried about working on this cure thing."

"Mm... In that case I should go and give him a hand; he might need some more blood or something. I'll see you in a bit yeah?"

"Of course," Aizen pulled him in and gave him a kiss before letting him go.

As Ichigo ascended the staircase to go to Szayel's laboratory again, he peered out of the window at the Infected battering against the barricaded doors and sighed, there were hundreds of them present, probably drawn by the sound of the first dozen which had been there.

A frown formed on his face as he continued trudging up the stairs and he opened the door to the lab, "Szayel got a question for you."

"Only if it is important. If it isn't then get out." The pink haired man replied as he pored over his work.

"Do you think you could ever turn the other Infected back to being... Like us?"

"I don't know," he said honestly, "Most of the original corpses are fetid and rotting, so even if I did it is likely that the person would be in extreme pain. Unless the aging process could be reversed."

Ichigo pushed himself up and sat on one of the lab counters, "Would you ever try?"

Szayel set down his scalpel, "Ichigo, I am trying to concentrate here. Let me at least make a cure before we start talking about reversing the Infection... I may be a perfectionist, I may be a genius, but even I can only do so much!"

"I... Sorry. I didn't mean to pressure you." He said with a small smile, "Are you alright Szayel?"

The scientist sighed heavily and turned away from him, "I lost my brother to this Infection, a disease I helped create. And now my... My brother's lover may die from the same Infection... As will I."

Ichigo slipped off the desk slowly and walked over, "You mean to say... You've been bitten?"

"Yes." He replied truthfully, looking around at him, "Grimmjow bit me... His guilt is consuming him slowly, as is this Infection. He doesn't have much longer, and neither does Aizen. But I can't quite crack this genetic code. I can't seem to get it to work out evenly... I think it is because my mind is becoming clouded by Infection..."

The strawberry reached out and clasped a hand on the other's shoulder, "Szayel, you are the smartest person I have ever met in my life. If anyone can do this you can. You have to keep believing in yourself. Otherwise you will fail yourself. And you would never forgive yourself would you?"

"I... No I wouldn't." He agreed, "I have never failed at anything yet... It would be poor of me to start now."

"Yes it would. Keep believing Szayel, and never stop. You need something that you can hold onto to keep you from falling. Remember that." he smiled at him comfortingly and watched a light flick back on in the scientist's eyes.

"Don't mention this to anyone. I don't want them thinking that I am weak." The pink haired one added.

"Your secret is safe with me."

Ichigo pulled back and watched as he started working again, he paused and picked up a phial of coagulated blood and tilted his head as he saw it was labelled with his own name.

"Oh yes, I was interested to find that your blood coagulated almost as soon as it was drawn out of your body." Szayel commented as he worked.

"Yeah that is a bit weird." He chuckled, "The Infected have coagulated blood..."

"They do yes." He agreed, "Can you go and get someone to come and give me a blood sample, someone who isn't Infected preferably."

"Will do! Keep your chin up!" he added before he dashed from the lab, eager to help.

Szayel watched him go before his face fell again slightly and he rubbed his forehead, his head aching like he had been hung over. Sighing heavily he picked himself up and glanced at the cracked worktop behind him before he considered Ichigo's advice again and forced himself to set everything aside.

Meanwhile, Grimmjow had Nnoitra pinned up against the bathroom wall, his hand around his throat, "Listen good Lanky-Ass, I was amused when you flirted with Szayel to start with but he's told me about last night..."

"Then he will have told you that he tried to Infect me! The crazy fucker stabbed me with a needle of the virus!" the long haired man barked back.

"Only because you started manhandling him. Now I am only going to say this once, you stay away from him and keep your hands to yourself... Or next time I'll tear them off. Understood?"

"He's fair fucking game you pussy! And I want him!"

"He is _mine_." Grimmjow snarled, "And if you so much as touch a hair on his head I will throw you out of the Infected."

"That's a bit sick... You fucked his brother and now you're fucking him... I don't think I do want him, dunno where he's been."

Grimmjow let out a roar and smashed Nnoitra's head into one of the mirrors, smashing the glass before he kneed him in the gut three times and gave him a punch to the groin to follow. He panted slightly and let the taller man crumple on the floor as he turned away and wiped his hands clean. Anger swirling in his eyes as his heart pumped hard in his chest and drowned out his common sense.

Stalking towards the exit, Grimmjow never heard Nnoitra get back up until his hair was grabbed and his head thrown against the wall. He grunted as he made contact and watched the world spin before he was assaulted by a volley of wild punches and kicks, most of which were targeted to his gut and chest, but a couple broke through and hit his face.

Blood flowed from his nose and mouth and his eyes watered slightly under the pressure of broken bones; Grimmjow gagged and threw up a bucket full of blood which ran across the tiled floor. He balled his fists as his irises flickered gold momentarily before they turned back to their usual blue, if not slightly dulled; his skin paled slightly and grew a sickly grey tinge.

Slowly getting to his feet, he turned to face a stunned Nnoitra - the taller man seemed shocked by the amount of blood he had just seen vomited - and walked forwards, it felt like time itself had slowed, as he reached for the scruff of the man's cloths and picked him up like he weight less than a bag of feathers. He threw him and watched as his body crashed clean through the wall and into the corridor beyond.

Grimmjow followed him and began laying into him again, animal instinct and blood lust driving him, as well as the mingled sense of honour he felt to protect Szayel's pride from this man, who had turned out to be a complete lowlife.

He let out a roar as a pair of strong arms wrapped around him from behind and he thrashed, fighting with the person like a caged beast. His head snapped back as he was punched and he fell, dazed, when his eyes focused he found himself looking up at Ichigo and his teeth clenched.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME! I WANT TO GUT THAT BASTARD!" he bellowed.

Ichigo flinched inwardly but forced himself to remain strong and pin the man down, he heard running footsteps approaching and hoped it was back up, "Calm down Grimmjow! Tell me what's happened! This isn't like you!"

"HE INSULTED SZAYEL! HE INSULTED ME! HE DESERVES A THRASHING AFTER HE TRIED IT ON WITH SZAYEL LAST NIGHT!" he yelled, anger flooding his veins like liquid fire.

"Moron is fucking the guy... Jealous!" Nnoitra said between broken teeth and a several broken facial bones.

"SHUT UP!" Grimmjow raged and almost managed to throw Ichigo off him in his determination to reach the man.

The strawberry swallowed and reached down, squeezing Grimmjow's windpipe until he passed out; he then stood up and turned to Nnoitra with all the grace of a cat.

"You threaten or upset one of my own and I will not think twice to throw you to the Infection." Ichigo told him as he walked over, "I wasn't here when you showed up, and I am certain that you are an accomplished warrior, but if you want to try your metal against those zombies out there all you gotta do is say something bad... One more time... I dare you."

Nnoitra glowered at him, "I... I don't want to..."

"Good, then get out of here and ask Unohana if she will be kind enough to heal a jerk like you." He murmured.

He watched Nnoitra pick himself up and limp off before he turned and looked into the bathroom, faltering as he saw the pool of blood on the floor, he could sense the Infection in it and he knew it was from Grimmjow.

Szayel had been right, Grimmjow didn't have long left, in fact the increase of his anger and strength only supported that fact. It was saddening to say the least. They were all running out of time now.

Sighing heavily, he looked around and saw Stark, Aizen and Renji stood at the top of the stairs, looking from the unconscious Grimmjow, to the bloodied bathroom, to Ichigo.

"Nnoitra tried to seduce Szayel last night, Grimmjow wasn't a happy bunny. His Infection is spreading and it may not be safe to have him walking around anymore. I think... He needs to be sectioned for his own protection, and for ours." The strawberry told them, "Stark, is there a contamination room we could put him in?"

"Yeah, it's on the same floor as the basement, there is a large room with several different cells, I think they were used to cage animals that the scientists here worked on. We can lock him in there." The blue eyed brunet responded with a nod.

"Good... Renji, I need you to go and tell Szayel. Be... Gentle." He warned, giving his redheaded friend a stern look before watching him go, "I'll carry him, in case he wakes up and starts biting. Lead the way Stark."

They went down the metal stairs which they had travelled down upon their arrival, but instead of leading them into the basement where they had just been enjoying breakfast, he led them in through a different door and turned the lights on.

There were no windows and only one door into and out of the room, there were a total of sixteen separate cells, and Grimmjow was placed in the first along with a blanket and some pillows for the cot in the corner.

Ichigo sighed as they shut the door on him and watched as he slowly began to come around, instantly he was alive with anger and rage, banging on the padded walls and kicking at the cot with fury. He flew at the door and snarled at Ichigo, his eyes wild and speckled with gold.

"Grimmjow can you hear me?" he asked as he called through the door it took several moments but finally, Grimmjow responded.

"Yes."

"Can you calm down please? We've had to put you in here because of the progression of the Infection; you are at risk of attacking the rest of us. I know what happened with Nnoitra and rest assured he won't be getting away with it and he certainly won't be going near Szayel again." He said gently.

Grimmjow closed his eyes for a moment and panted slightly, "I... I couldn't help it... I'm sorry... The anger took over..."

"It's okay, I understand. You just need to try and remain as focused as you can. I understand, honestly I do." He smiled weakly, "Szayel is working as hard as he can, you just need to hold out for a bit longer."

"I know... I know he is... He is so tired..." he looked down and guilt shadowed his face.

"He told me," he murmured, "I know what happened between you and it wasn't your fault... You can't fight the Infection alone and what you did was instinctual. You cannot blame yourself. Keep fighting, and stay calm."

"I'll do my best Ichigo..." the blue haired man agreed before he walked away from the door and sat on the cot, resting his head in his hands.

Ichigo pulled back and looked around as Szayel ran in, a look of utter franticness in his eyes as he dashed to the door and looked through at his secret lover. The strawberry backed up until he felt a firm but gentle hand on his shoulder, and he looked around to see his own lover stood beside him with a comforting smile on his face, only his eyes betrayed his sorrow at Grimmjow having to be locked up.

Without caring what anyone else thought at that moment, he wound his arms around Aizen's waist and pressed his face against his chest, relaxing slightly as he felt the man kiss the top of his head. He swallowed weakly and told himself that even if Szayel couldn't find a cure in time, he would never allow himself to waste a second of the time he had now.


	11. Chapter 11

**Ooh I have pounded out another chapter! Thank you for all the reviews on Chapter 10, I hope you all enjoy this chapter just as much! I would love to see if you can work out who Mayuri's inside man is? Good luck! Please review!**

**Chapter Eleven: Goliath:**

Mayuri was frustrated that the group of survivors had so far disappeared off his radar and he presumed that they had either died or found somewhere secure to stay for a while. Wherever it was he didn't have the security access to locate them, so he would either have to wait or force them back out into the open so he could observe them.

He had a strong feeling that it was more likely the group of survivors were alive and hiding because of the boy, even though each and every one of them had shown a remarkable level of survival instinct the boy was far more superior, he was a natural fighting machine, a weapon. And he had the instinct to fight the Infected and protect people. A powerful combination.

The orange haired boy had been a most successful source of enlightening research, but he had released him far too soon and now that he saw his mistake he wanted him back to continue and complete the experiment. He would have to flush them out so that he could steal the boy away again.

It was a good job he had a man on the inside.

The crazed scientist withdrew a mobile phone from his pocket, scrolling through the list of contacts and smirking as he recalled that most of them were probably among the shambling corpses outside. He reached the number he wanted and dialled it. He would find out where they were. He would drive them back out onto the streets. He would reclaim his experiment.

-/-

It was just gone three in the morning when the residents of the science facility were woken one by one by Byakuya; he had been on night-watch on the top floor with Renji when he had seen a figure stumbling through the streets towards the building, apparently oblivious to the Infected surrounding it. Apparently, according to Byakuya's excellent sight through his night-vision scope, the figure wasn't a shambling corpse, it was a human.

This caused a stir within the group, and they gathered on the top floor, each taking a look at the lurching figure, and agreeing that the person wasn't one of the undead.

"What do we do?" Rukia asked quietly.

"We leave 'em." Nnoitra growled, still furious from his fight with Grimmjow and Ichigo.

Byakuya looked up, "We cannot leave them out there to be killed, if they are unharmed e should do what we can to help them."

"I agree," Renji nodded as he stood beside the raven haired man, "Ichigo always says that it is our humanity which stops us from being like the Infected."

"Where is Ichigo anyway?" Rukia asked as she looked around, unable to see her orange haired friend.

"He disappeared after I told him the news."Byakuya told his sister.

Renji shrugged, "You know what he is like... He's probably off scowling somewhere."

"The last time a group left the facility it almost ended in disaster though..." Ulquiorra murmured bringing the current issue back to the surface of their minds, "I am neither against, nor for rescuing the civilian, and I am happy to leave it to the rest of you." He added.

"I think we should help them," Inoue said from just behind Ulquiorra, "No one deserves to be left to that fate when there is something that can be done to prevent it."

"I don't know about this... It is incredibly dangerous and it could put us all to our deaths." Ishida said as he nudged his glasses up his nose, "I for one wouldn't want to go out there."

"I say we go and kick some Infected ass and show them what we can do!" Kenpachi boomed in his loud baritone.

"And what of those you leave behind and leave at a major disadvantage?" Unohana asked as she joined the group from her seated position by the window, "If the group separates then the small half is going to be at a huge disadvantage, but we cannot all leave because we need to maintain our position here."

"I feel for the survivor, but one of the first things you learn as a soldier is to maintain the safety of yourself and your convoy." Stark shook his head, "We can't risk it..."

"But they don't deserve that fate! We have all seen what happens!" Nelliel raised her voice, an almost unknown occurrence.

"Grimmjow is dying because of the Infected... I would not like to see another person suffer because we couldn't help them." Szayel said quietly, not meeting anyone's gaze.

"We could just shoot them..." Nnoitra said snidely as he glowered at the pink haired scientist.

"Enough!" Aizen pinched the bridge of his nose, "We need to make a diplomatic decision here, and we cannot start arguing about every little thing in order to alleviate our angers."

"Then what do we do?" Nnoitra snapped, "Half of us agree, half of us don't..."

"I... I don't know." The brunet breathed as his concentration slipped and he felt his mind getting fuzzy, clouded by bloodlust and hunger.

"Well that is just great isn't it?! A leader who can't lead us! You are going to get us all fucking killed!" the lanky man yelled.

"Shut up Nnoitra, you aren't helping." Nelliel frowned.

"Don't preach to me you tart, we should just lock him in with Grimmjow and let them finish each other off, it would save us all the trouble of carting two dead weights around with us."

No one saw what had happened, only the end result. Which was Nnoitra dangling out of the window by his hair, by Ichigo, "I think you've caused more than enough trouble for one day don't you?"

"AARRGGHH! PULL ME BACK IN!" the tall man cried in panic.

"Why should I? If you are so intent on getting rid of dead weights then that should count you, considering you are worth less to me than anyone else here." The strawberry growled.

Nnoitra looked up at him, his eyes wide before he gasped as he was hurled back inside and thrown to the floor for the second time that day. Ichigo moved to stand beside Aizen, and guided the brunet into a chair where he could recline and gather himself together again.

"We are rescuing the civilian." He stated calmly, "If you disagree then that is fair enough but you needn't be worried about the Infected getting in because I have been busy finding a secondary escape route for the squad I take with me."

"What are you talking about? There is no second escape route..." Unohana frowned.

Ichigo smiled, "You are right and wrong about that, there is no legitimate escape route but this situation is rarely legitimate is it?"

Ulquiorra stepped forward, "What is this second escape? Where is it?"

"Up." Was the only answer the strawberry gave.

"U-up?" Inoue said in confusion, "But this is the top floor..."

"Exactly and we have the greatest escape route possible right above us. The roof. I have a little bit experience with scaling buildings, but whoever I take needs to have similar experience, I don't want to be teaching people right before we take the plunge."

The room was silent for a moment before Byakuya stood up, "As crazy as your plan is... It might work. I have experience and I am happy to accompany you."

"Thanks Byakuya, it'll be just like old times huh?"

"Indeed." The raven haired male offered a very small lip twitching smile before it vanished again.

"Anyone else?" the strawberry asked.

"Grimmjow and I escaped the roof of a hospital when the Infection broke out, he tied a cable around a pillar and abseiled us both down it. I... I may be a little bit of a liability but if you are willing to accept, I offer my help." Szayel announced, taking a couple of people who thought he was a selfish bastard by surprise.

"I am sure you are better at it than you think, Szayel, and if you are certain I will be happy of your help." He nodded and clapped the man on the shoulder, "Do you think Grimmjow can handle it?"

"No," he looked down, "He would say otherwise but I think... As his acting doctor, he might lose himself mid-mission."

"Understood." Ichigo sighed inwardly but knew it was for the best, "Three of us... It's not great but I guess it is better than when it was just two of us going to that blood pharmacy."

"Make it four," Kenpachi growled, "I'm not really airborne material but I can bust heads and keep them off our backs, just show me what to do and I will do it."

"Welcome aboard," Ichigo turned to the others, "Alright, listen up, I know that most of you didn't want this, but I can't sit back and leave an innocent out there to be devoured when I could have helped. I need bows, rifles and crossbows throughout the floors to keep as many of them off our backs as possible, Ulquiorra and Inoue take the first floor; Ishida and Nelliel take the second floor; Stark and Unohana take this floor and I want Aizen, Rukia and Renji on the roof to cover us. Nnoitra... If you decide you want to help then fair enough and take floor two, if you don't then that is fine as well." He instructed.

A chorus of 'Yes, sir' followed Ichigo's instructions and the strawberry nodded his head supportively. He then looked at his brunet haired lover and at next to him for a moment, taking his hand discreetly.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked quietly.

"No... Not even remotely..." Aizen responded in a strained voice, "It's getting worse, like it did with Grimmjow... I feel so tired, I can barely concentrate... I am so hungry that I can't stop eating and I... I wanted to kill Nnoitra where he stood."

"I think everyone wanted to kill Nnoitra, not just you." He said with a weak chuckle, "Don't give up, please? I don't want to lose you..."

Aizen looked up at him slowly and offered a weary smile, "I don't surrender. Ever."

"I'll hold you to that." He told him sternly before he kissed the back of his hand, "I'll be back."

"You'd better be."

"You have my word." Ichigo breathed.

He pulled away slowly and took a breath before he turned round and faced the group who had been in conversation while he had been speaking with his lover. He paused as Nelliel approached him and smiled at her comfortingly.

"I found these while I was searching through the crates in the basement earlier, I thought they might come in handy." She told him and held up a large bag of earpieces.

"Oh!" he delved a hand inside and pulled one out, "These are brilliant! Yes we can use these! Thanks Nel!" he smiled widely at her and whistled piercingly, getting everyone's attention, "I want everyone to take an earpiece from Nel and make sure that you tune it properly, I want to be able to communicate with you all at all times, is that clear? Ulquiorra you are Squad 2 Gold, Inoue you are Squad 2 Silver. Nelliel you are Squad 3 Gold, Ishida you are Squad 3 Silver and Nnoitra you will be Squad 3 Bronze. Unohana you are Squad 4 Gold and Stark you are Squad 4 Silver. Aizen take Squad 5 Gold, Renji you're Squad 5 Silver and Rukia take Bronze. I am Squad 1 Gold; Byakuya is Silver; Szayel, and Kenpachi are both Bronze. If everyone has got that then get to your positions and take aim! Clear out!"

He ran with his companions to the stairwell, slipping his earpiece in as he went and threw open the door onto the roof. While he had been absent from the debate he had been up here, preparing for the descent, ropes were already prepared and were ready to be attached to the person doing the climb, while a bag sat beside each rope containing extra ammunition and a little something extra special that he had discovered in one of the crates in the basement, one which had been at the very back and piled under various other things.

Ichigo brought them to a stop by these items and turned to them, "Alright, this is as dangerous as can be, I may be strong, and fast, but I cannot guarantee your safety, so if any of you decide to turn back now I won't hold it against you."

"We aren't going anywhere." Byakuya said firmly, "What's in the bags?"

"There is extra ammo for your weapons and..." he paused and leaned down, pulling out the 'special item' from the pack which would be given to Byakuya, "I found some Kevlar suits down in the basement, they aren't flash and they will probably make you sweat a bit but they might come in handy if you are surrounded by Infect. I can't say how long or how well the Kevlar will protect you against their teeth but it is a darn sight better than going in there like this." He gestured to their clothes.

Szayel moved forwards and looked the suit over, "These will come in handy, my initial examinations suggest that although they are strangely powerful their jaws are weaker than ours, the bone is in a state of rapid decay. So they may have a harder time chewing through this. How many suits were there?"

"Twenty." Ichigo replied, "Alright, let's suit up and hope it gives us a bit of extra protection."

Without another word, the group stripped off their clothes and got changed into the thinner layers Ichigo had supplied such as vest tops and shorts, before they helped each other into the light but strong suits. When they were done, Ichigo piled their forgone clothing on the roof and looked up as Rukia, Renji and Aizen appeared so that they could cover the roof as they had been requested.

"Whoa, flash out fits..." Renji said as he approached.

"Don't feel left out, there's one for you downstairs." Ichigo responded before he clapped is redheaded friend on the back, "Keep an eye on Aizen for me."

"Will do, you don't even need to ask." The man answered with a smile, "Keep an eye on Byakuya for me."

"You don't need to ask." He confirmed before he turned to his companions, "Are you ready?" he asked.

When they gave their replies, Ichigo glanced at Aizen, pausing as the man held out his black sword to him; he smiled, "I'd forgotten that."

"I know, but I figured you would want it." He told him as he handed it over, "I am calmer now. Thank you for before."

"No worries, I'll be back before you know it." He leaned up and kissed him on the lips gently before he pulled back and walked towards the edge of the rooftop, fastening himself to his rope as he went.

He could see the stumbling figure of the person they were risking their lives to rescue in the distance, they would have to sprint about a mile, grab the person, and return before getting their ropes again and climbing back up the building to safety. It would be the return journey that was the most dangerous.

Sucking in a breath he touched his earpiece, "All Gold Squads come in."

"Here." Nel called back instantly.

"I've got your signal." Ulquiorra announced.

"Crystal clear." Aizen said from beside him with a smile.

"I am receiving you." Unohana responded.

Ichigo closed his eyes, "All Silver Squads come in."

"I hear you Kurosaki!" Inoue's voice echoed down his ear and he winced slightly.

"Yep." Was Ishida's response.

"Clear." Byakuya said from over the other side of the roof.

"I've got you." Stark rumbled.

"Loud and clear." Renji answered from his other side.

Glad that the pieces were working so far, Ichigo cleared his throat, "And Bronze Squads come in."

"I'm receiving." Nnoitra growled grumpily.

"Ichigo." Rukia confirmed.

"We're here." Szayel and Kenpachi said together.

With a breath, Ichigo gripped his safety rope and watched as Aizen, Rukia, and Renji took their positions with their purloined sniper rifles. Glancing briefly at the three other men following his command, he leaned backwards over the roof and began his descent, watching as they did the same thing.

As he went down and passed the various floors, he received greetings from the Squads on those floors via the earpieces and via them making a gesture out of the window they were sat at. He didn't dare answer them for fear that he would throw up, and that wouldn't be very leader-like would it?

The strawberry looked down and saw that he wasn't far away from reaching the Infected which were still gathered like an ocean around a rock. He sucked in a breath and let go of the cable with one hand and reached back, wrapping his fingers around the hilt of his sword before he drew it, the sound of the metal scraping along the inside of the hilt made him cringe as it drew a lot of attention.

He swore as the Infected turned and began groping the air for him, he glanced up and saw his companions were still a little bit further up than he was, if he let them continue without warning them it would be a massacre.

Good job Nel had found those earpieces.

"Squad 1 Silver and Bronze, hold your positions, we have a complication. Don't proceed until I say." He called through before he ground his teeth and slashed up with his sword, severing his rope and allowing himself to drop the final ten feet down towards the ground.

He managed to make himself turn as he felt and grunted as he landed on his feet in the middle of the fray of Infected; he began slashing and hacking at them before he made his sword clang loudly on a metal pipe and watched as it got their attention.

"You want some noise huh? I'll give you noise!" he ran through the crowd, shoving them out of his way before he began dragging his sword along the ground to make a horrible screeching noise. Pressing a finger against the piece in his ear and spoke quickly, "Squad 2, Squad 3, Squad, 4 cover the main group while I lead the Infected away. Squad 5, save your ammo for the return trip and then bring a hail down for them," he changed connection, "Squad 1 Silver."

"What is it Ichigo?" Byakuya replied.

"Take over as Gold. I'm leading the Infected as far away as I can, there were just too many of them in our projected route. Get that civilian and get back to the facility. I can take care of myself."

"Ichigo that is stupid! Don't risk yourself!" the raven haired man barked.

"Byakuya... Trust me. Just get moving as soon as you think it is safe." He cut the connection before the noble bastard could argue any more.

He sprinted off down a smaller street with the entirety of the horde following him, it was a good job he had been made faster by the experiments Kurotsuchi had performed, or he would have been overrun before he could get ten paces. It was odd to him that some of the Infected could run like the very flames of hell were behind them while others were slow and stumbling. But after a moment of consideration he considered that it was the same when the Infected had been human, some people were fast and some were slow.

With a shrug he turned a corner, bumping into a wall and grunting before he set off again, the alley was tight and narrow, so it would take longer for the Infected to muscle their way down towards him and he could pick them off easier if he really had to.

Meanwhile, Byakuya swore fluently down his earpiece as he watched Ichigo disappear from sight and growled before he looked at his fellow climbers and nodded for them to continue the descent.

It was only a few moments before they touched down and checked out the surrounding area for any lingering undead. When they found none they each felt a thrum of concern for their missing strawberry, realising that he had the entire horde after him.

"Alright, let's move out. I want this over with ASAP." Byakuya told them before they started a brisk sprint down the main road towards their target.

There were about a yard away from the person when they began to be able to figure out characteristics, it was a male, probably in his mid-thirties; he had silver hair and pale white skin. There was a grubby bandage around his eyes which was stained with dry blood and they could see the same dry scarlet on his cheeks, like tear streaks.

It was at that point that the ground began to shake, a thunderous booming sound reaching their ears as several buildings to their right quivered and collapsed. Byakuya looked around slowly, his blood running cold in his veins as his steel grey eyes fell on a massive clump of moving flesh.

There were no definite way to describe it, the thing was at least seventeen feet tall, and about seventeen feet wide, its skin was mottled and cracked, caked in blood and gore, slime and water. Its face was scrunched up like a pugs', with small beady eyes leering out from between large flaps of sagged skin which formed eyelids around the brilliant golden irises. A thick trunk like tail swung from side to side behind the beast, and its pond sized feet pounded against the ground, making it tremble with fear. The smell of fetid meat was a stench strong enough to make Byakuya gag from over the other side of the street. He had never smelled anything as horrible and disgusting in his life, even the Infected didn't smell _that_ badly.

"What... Is that?" Szayel asked in a squeaky breath.

"I... I don't know." Byakuya responded, swallowing hard and looking up at it, "But I think it's looking at us."

**A/N:**** Cliff hanger alert! XD**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you for the WONDERFUL reviews for chapter eleven, I am glad you enjoyed it! I hope you enjoy this one as well! The mystery stranger in the street is revealed!**

**Chapter Twelve: Of Rockets and Eyeballs:**

Ichigo panted slightly as he slowed down, he could hear the moans of the Infected close behind but he needed a break; drawing his sword again he turned to face them and began carving through them, hacking their heads from their shoulders over and over. They seemed never ending, for everyone he killed another stepped into its place.

He might have had increased energy but even he could reach a point where fatigue hit him; he was fast approaching that point as well. Gritting his teeth he lopped off another head before he turned and sprinted off again, glancing around as he ran into an open street.

The strawberry ran towards an abandoned military van and climbed into it, he slammed the door shut and gasped in relief as he saw that the keys were still in the ignition; he turned the key and put his foot on the accelerator, speeding towards the undead corpses which had been following him and mowed them over and kept driving, leaving them behind as he considered how to get back to the science lab.

He shook his head and cursed, doing a couple of quick turns before he slammed the break on, seeing a strange white mist floating towards him up the road. He leaned forwards in the seat and his eyes widened as he realised what it was. Someone had released a gas into the city, whether it was toxic or narcotic he didn't know, and he certainly wasn't going to stick around long enough to find out.

Doing a U turn he headed back the way he had come from, running over a few more Infected on the way as he stormed down the road towards the facility.

When he rounded the corner and saw the creature in the road, his eyes widened considerably as he watched the squad on the ground facing off against one of the biggest Infected creatures he had ever seen. Ichigo scrambled into the back of the van and ripped open the weapon cases he had spotted when he had entered it. His eyebrows shot up as he uncovered a rather large rocket launcher. Apparently, today was his lucky day.

He grabbed the heavy weapon and two additional rockets before he climbed out of the van and onto the roof; he crouched down and ensured the gun was loaded and the safety was off before he also made sure that the gun was pointing in the right direction and hefted it onto his shoulder.

He peered through the visor at the side and took aim, following the rather sluggish movements of the Infected monster before he fired the first rocket, watching as it impacted and exploded in its gut, splattering the surrounding area with sickly gray and black gunk. Cringing slightly himself, he fired the second rocket, aiming for the things head. He cursed as he missed and hit it in the shoulder, flinching as it let out a ground shaking roar of pain.

The strawberry took the launcher off his shoulder again an cracked it open to reload, looking up as he saw the Infected turning in his direction, lumbering towards him; he snapped the gun shut and lifted it again, wasting no time before he fired both remaining shots simultaneously with the hope that one would hit it in the right place.

As one rocket embedded itself in the thing's leg, the other struck it in the temple, splattering its brain against the building behind it. Ichigo slid down off the roof and got back in the driver's seat and sped down the road, skidding to a stop near Byakuya before he got back out.

"What the HELL was that thing?!" he exclaimed.

"I have no idea, but I am certainly glad that you returned when you did." The raven haired male responded, letting out a long sigh before he wiped some gore from his face with the back of his hand, "Although your aim leaves much to be desired."

"Because yours did so much better!" Ichigo pointed towards the bullet shaped holes in the walls, "Good one Byakuya." He laughed.

Ichigo looked around suddenly as he recalled the whole purpose for their being out of here; he hurried over to the frozen form of the stranger they had all come to rescue. He strode over quickly and rested his hands on his shoulders, faltering instantly as he saw fresh and old blood running down the man's face from under his eyelids as well as several bruises and cuts to his body. However he appeared to be void of bite marks and Infection.

"Hey, don't panic, we're all un-Infected here, we are going to take you to our safe house. Is that alright?" he paused and received a nod in response, "Okay, my name is Kurosaki Ichigo, I'm going to pick you up so try to stay nice and still for me."

The strawberry waited for an affirmative nod before he swept the man up in his arms and began heading back towards the science facility with him, glancing back he spotted Szayel taking several samples from the felled giant Infected before following them.

He was disturbed by how easily he could feel the man's bones through his tattered clothing, it was clear he hadn't had a decent meal for quite some time and his skin was pale with a sickly grey tinge; his breathing was laboured and strained, there was a quiet wheeze behind each inhalation and exhalation.

Hurrying towards the building, Ichigo handed Byakuya their new arrival and helped the raven haired man buckle back into the rope they had used to descend originally. Nodding to the man, he watched as Byakuya was slowly pulled back up, followed by Szayel and Kenpachi. He glanced back a final time at the creature they had felled before he jumped up, grabbing hold of the piece of rope he had cut before he began scaling the wall, reaching the top before the others. He turned and helped Aizen, Renji and Rukia pull his companions up before he took the straggler back off Byakuya and hurried him into the building.

He jumped as his earpiece buzzed before he heard Unohana, "Bring him to the second floor, I'm prepared to receive him and treat any injuries he has."

"I'll be right there." He replied before he hastened his pace, trusting the others on the roof to finish up.

It only took him a few minutes to reach the second floor; and then a further couple of minutes to locate which room Unohana was using, he nudged open the door and hurried inside, laying the man on the sterile bed she had prepared.

Ichigo smiled weakly at the woman, "I couldn't see any visible bite marks on his body, but I couldn't be certain about the parts he had covered up." He told her as he stepped back to give her room to work.

"Thank you Ichigo," she nodded before she gently began prising the buttons of his ripped shirt apart, she hesitated as the man began struggling and took his hands, "I am a doctor, I'm going to try and help you feel better. I need to to let me remove these dirty clothes so I can do that though. Is that alright?"

"I'm still here; I won't leave unless you ask me to. You'll be perfectly safe." The strawberry added comfortingly.

Unohana mouthed her thanks to him as her patient nodded, and began undressing him slowly; she made a note of the injuries she stumbled across, finding multiple bruises and cuts from his time as a lone survivor. She cleaned these up first, applying witch-hazel to the bruises to sooth them and antiseptic to the cuts to clean them.

She then brought out a hospital style bed gown and helped him put it on before she came to examine his face; she frowned slightly as she wiped away the trails of blood and came to a stop at his eyelids where the blood had been coming from. She tilted her head slightly before slowly peeling back his eyelids; her own eyes widening as she was faced with an empty socket. She checked the other eye and swallowed back bile as she found the same result.

Clearing her throat, Unohana licked her lips, "How did this happen?" she asked quietly.

"Zombie." The silver haired man stated, his voice weak and quiet.

"Can you tell me exactly what happened?" she asked.

"Plucked 'em out." He murmured, "Wasn't bitten. Just mutilated."

"I understand," she said quietly, brushing his hair back off his forehead, "I can't do anything about your eyes, but I can patch you up and make you better, you are welcome to stay here with us, for now we are safe and it would be a good place for you to recover."

He nodded once, "Thanks."

The medical woman smiled, even though he couldn't see it, and began cleaning his face - removing the layers of dirt and blood from his skin before she slipped a canular into the back of his hand to give him antibiotics to fight of the minor infection he had in the left eye socket. She slipped another needle into the crook of his elbow and attached him to a saline drip to replenish his fluids.

Ichigo held onto the man's hand as it became necessary for her to clean his eye sockets, hearing the whimpers of pain the man was emitted distressed him, so he gently pressed a pressure point to send the man into a gentle unconsciousness.

"Will he pull through?" Ichigo asked his medical companion.

"If he can fight off the septic infection in his eye and the malnutrition then yes, I have no doubt that he will recover. However he had a long rehabilitation process ahead of him, and you have to begin to consider whether or not having some who is blind will hinder us if we are forced to evacuate the building and travel on the road." She said, her voice detached from emotion.

"I'd never leave a man or woman behind." He told her firmly.

"Not even if it put the rest of us at risk?"

"I don't believe in no win scenarios... I could send the rest of you on ahead, even if it meant staying by his side myself, I would do it. As a soldier I would have expected you to feel the same way, or has the apocalypse made you selfish?" he growled.

Her eyes flashed with anger momentarily before she calmed herself again, "You have to consider the safety of many, not just one. That is what the army and the apocalypse taught me."

Once she was finished, the woman snapped her gloves off and discarded of them before she stalked away, giving him a final filthy look before leaving him alone with the blind man. He didn't care if she was angry or annoyed with him, he wouldn't be told to leave someone behind.

"Ichigo?" a small voice sounded from the bed and made him realise the man was awake again.

"Yes, I am still here." He said as he took the guy's hand again, "How do you feel?"

"Pretty rough." He replied, but his voice sounded stronger than before, "Thank ya for saving me. I know it probably would have been easier not to."

He shook his head, "Nonsense. I couldn't just leave you down there; you were in a lot of danger."

"Well... Thank ya anyway," he smiled weakly, "Could I have somethin' to eat if it isn't too much trouble? I haven't eaten for weeks... 'Nd I've only been able to drink scraps of things I have found."

"Of course you can! Hold on one moment and I will be right back, will you be okay on your own?"

"Yes, yes I will be-"

"I will stay with him." Aizen said from the doorway, making Ichigo jump.

The strawberry smiled, "Alright, thanks. I won't be long!" he hurried over, giving his lover and kiss before he rushed out to seek sustenance.

The brunet smiled at his lover before watching him go; he turned and walked over to the man on the bed and sat down on the edge of the item of furniture.

He looked at him for several long moments before he sighed, "I'm sorry."

"Wha' for?" the other replied.

"You don't recognise my voice then... I'm surprised. You worked with me for so many years, Gin." Aizen said in a softer tone than normal.

"A-Aizen? Is tha' really ya? I thought... I thought everyone 'ad died..." he gasped.

"Not everyone, though admittedly I believed the same thing. If I had known you were alive I would have searched for you. I'm sorry... I abandoned you."

"Don't apologise... Ya weren't to know. I'm glad ya survived, how are ya?" he asked, some enthusiasm back in his voice in the presence of his former employer and friend.

"I have been better, I am... I was bitten by one of the Infected and I am slowly turning into one of them; we have a scientist here who is attempting to create a cure so... There is at least some hope that I will survive this." He sighed, "I would ask after your own well being however... I think it would be a little tactless."

"Oh I'm okay I guess, I can't see but I am alive." He chuckled weakly, "How many of ya are there?"

"Fifteen at the moment, the young man who was with you a moment ago saved my life; he's the only reason I am still here." Aizen sighed softly.

"Ya sound found of 'im."

"We are lovers..." he muttered.

"Oh? I thought ya were interested in the ladies Aizen..."

"Nope, only the guys; had you all fooled on that account."

"Damn, if I had of known-"

"You would still have married Rangiku." He laughed, "Did she..."

Gin fell quiet for a moment, his smile fading, "I don't know."

They were interrupted as the door opened up again and Ichigo returned with a large bowl of porridge, the strawberry smiled at them both even though he knew only one could see it. He took a seat beside the man's bed again and hesitated.

"Um... Sorry this might be a rude question but do you want to try feeding yourself or should I..." he laughed nervously.

"I'll give it a go!" the other laughed along with him, "If I'm struggling ya can take over."

"Alright, here's the bowl; be careful its quite hot and... There is the spoon..." he said as he helped him get into position.

"Thanks. Name's Ichimaru Gin by the way." He added before taking a slow and careful mouthful of food, "'Nd that is blood good."

Ichigo smiled, "Nice to meet you Gin."

"Nice to meet ya too, Ichigo."

Meanwhile, Szayel stripped back out of the Kevlar outfit Ichigo had given him and began feeding the samples from the new type of Infected into his machines, reading the results which came back with zeal. He barely looked around as someone entered the laboratory until someone's hand clapped over his mouth and nose, stopping him from breathing.

His eyes went wide and he dropped his papers as he rushed to try and free himself, his hands being captured in his assailants free on; his vision began to blur and dots started appearing in his eyes as he struggled to draw breath; his head spun and everything began to get foggy before he finally slumped against his attacker and went limp, unconsciousness stealing him away as he was hauled out of the lab by his mystery aggressor, leaving his laboratory in a state of disarray which was most unbefitting to his tidy-science-facility personality.


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you all for your wonderful reviews, they have been inspiring and strengthening. This chapter sees the beginning of the next big part of this story aka: ALL HELL IS ABOUT TO BREAK LOOSE! Buckle your seat belts my dears, I am taking you for a bumpy ride! Enjoy! **

**Chapter Thirteen: Questions and Answers (Part One):**

"I can't find Szayel _anywhere_," Ulquiorra said as he met Byakuya and Renji back in the foyer, "His laboratory is a complete mess. He would never allow it to be so untidy."

"He wasn't with Grimmjow either... I didn't tell him that Szayel was missing because I didn't want to worry him." The redhead added, "But Grimmjow hasn't seen him since he visited when we had to lock him away."

"And he wasn't in the medical area Unohana set up..." Byakuya commented, "He's gone... We need to tell Aizen and Ichigo."

Nelliel ran up to them at that point and slung her arms around Ulquiorra and Renji's shoulders, "Have any of you seen Stark? I can't find him _anywhere_ and Unohana hasn't seen him either."

Byakuya looked at the two men he was with and they all shared a similar look, he swallowed hard and turned, walking towards the makeshift infirmary where he knew Aizen and Ichigo were. They needed to know about this. Two disappearances in the same space of time were too much of a coincidence.

Pushing the doors open, he was momentarily taken aback by the sight of Ichigo helped the man they had rescued from the street to eat before he strode over and cleared his throat, "We have a problem; it is a big problem."

"What do you mean?" Aizen asked from his bedside vigil of his old colleague.

"Szayel is missing... And so is Stark. We have searched the entire building and I can tell you, Szayel is not here. As for Stark, Nelliel was looking for him and can't find him anywhere." The raven haired male told him, "I hate to say it but... Stark has military training; he could easily have sailed the wall and escaped the same way we did with Ichigo to rescue our newest family member."

"Right here." Gin announced with a coy smile, much of his wit having returned in the wake of food and water.

"Are you suggesting that Stark has kidnapped Szayel?" Ichigo asked, getting to his feet and leaving Gin to feed himself again, "Why would he do that?"

Byakuya sighed, "I was talking to Unohana before we put the lights out last night; she told me that their division of soldiers were owned by a large scientific company... and their CEO was none other than Kurotsuchi Mayuri."

"Oh no..." Ichigo breathed, "He... He's working for... Shit..."

"It might be more complicated than a simple betrayal, we don't know yet." Aizen told his strawberry haired lover soothingly, "We need to ascertain what happened. And we need to get Szayel back before it is too late; he is the only one who can finish the work he started on that cure."

"Then it is about to get a whole lot worse," Ichigo said, "Because Szayel is Infected. Grimmjow bit him during the... Throes of passion. It's not just his lover and his leader who is in danger of turning, now it is him as well."

"Oh... Fuck!" Aizen turned and ran a hand down his face, "Alright, Byakuya I want you to gather everyone up and inform them of the situation, as of now and until we get answers we are to consider Coyote Stark an enemy. We need to figure out where they have gone and we need to get Szayel back."

"Understood." Byakuya nodded once and left the room to spread the word and father the group together.

Aizen and Ichigo shared a long look before the brunet reached out and took his lover's hand, bringing it up he kissed the back of his knuckles supportively.

"Ichimaru." Gin stated.

"What?" the pair said at the same time.

"If you were looking for baby names, Ichimaru is a good one."

"Shut up."

"I am shutting up." The silver haired male said and smirked into his food.

Ichigo shook his head in amusement at the man and then looked at Aizen, "I can't believe Stark would do this without a good reason, he is a good man. I wouldn't have ever considered him to be a traitor..."

"I agree, he is a good man, honourable. Perhaps he has left some form of message to explain?" Aizen considered aloud.

"It's a thought. Let's go check his room out, see if he left something behind." The strawberry suggested, "You be okay Gin?"

"I'll be find, stop ya worrying." He responded.

Ichigo nodded once before he left the infirmary with his brunet lover, heading for the residential floor; Stark's room wasn't far from his own and it didn't take long for them to find it. It was locked and neither of them had a key, so Ichigo booted it in without as much as a bat of his long eyelashes.

They began looking through what was left of his possessions, he was the same as the rest of them; he didn't have much left and there weren't many personal things in the room. However, while Aizen was searching the wardrobe Ichigo saw a photograph on the bedside cabinet; picking up the slightly tarnished frame he looked at the image and raised an eyebrow slowly.

There were two people in the photo: a man with long brown hair which was pinned back in a neat ponytail, his eyes were full of mirth and joy which swirled around in the smoky blue irises; Stark was clean shaven for once and he had his corded muscular arms around a girl, she was small, a child then. Her hair was a stunning shade of lime green and her eyes were vibrant. They seemed very close.

Ichigo turned the photo over and removed it from the frame, seeing some of Stark's classical scrawl on the back.

_Lillinette and me, 2009, New Forest_

"Hey, I think I've found something. It is a photograph of Stark with a young girl. A sister maybe, a daughter even?" he asked as he turned and showed him the photo.

"That is his daughter, he told me about her the evening we first met him. He said she had been at school when the Infection broke out... He didn't know if she was dead or alive." Aizen murmured as he looked it over.

The strawberry faltered and looked at him, "Wait... Wait, wait!" he gasped as he was struck by realisation, "If the division of soldiers Stark and Unohana were a part of were owned and used exclusively by Kurotsuchi's science company then he would know every detail about each soldier in his possession."

"Of course, but what are you getting at?" the brunet questioned.

"He would know that Stark had a daughter, and that would give him leverage. What is Lillinette isn't dead? What is Kurotsuchi has her and is using her to make Stark do his bidding?" he explained, "We have already agreed that Stark is a loyal and commendable man, but if the life of his daughter was threatened then... What would he be willing to do to ensure her safety? Would he be willing to betray the people around him?"

"Yes... Yes, he would. I know I would do the same if you were in danger." Aizen said certainly.

Ichigo flushed slightly but cleared his throat, "We should go and inform the others of what we have discovered."

"Wait a moment," Aizen pulled a sleek black mobile out from under Stark's pillow and flicked it open, searching through his calls and text messages, "We can trace these calls... We can triangulate where they came from and find Kurotsuchi!"

The other looked the phone over before he nodded, "I know a girl who can do that! Let's go and meet up with the others."

Their group of comrades and friends had gathered in one of the larger laboratories, someone had had the thinking to collect Grimmjow as well; some of them were sat down and others were stood, Byakuya and Grimmjow were leaning against the wall, the blue haired male seemed calm considering the last time everyone had seen him.

Ichigo headed into the lab, closely followed by his lover; they stood side by side in front of their companions. The pair shared a look before they looked at them; Ichigo took a step forwards.

"Stark has betrayed us and has taken Szayel to Kurotsuchi Mayuri, the scientist who created the virus and experimented upon me. Stark is a good man, but it would seem that Kurotsuchi has a hold over him," he held the photograph up to them, "I believe Kurotsuchi has Stark's daughter Lillinette and is threatening her life unless he gets the help he wants. Now, we've found a mobile in Stark's room with a list of calls from an unknown source, considering what we already know I think we can safely say Kurotsuchi has been calling him. Rukia, you are good with tracing calls and triangulating where they have come from so I want you to give it a go; Renji help her as best you can."

"I'll get right on it." Rukia said, taking the phone from him before she dragged Renji to the back of the lab where the computers were sat.

"I don't leave one of my own to suffer. When we find Stark's location I am going after him; I will fight through hordes of Infected to save him and his daughter. When that time comes I do not ask you to follow me, but your help would be welcome should you wish to give it." He paused and clasped his hands together, "I can't tell you what we would be facing, just last night we discovered a new type of Infected creature... I don't know how many more of them are out there; there might be dozens of different kinds by now. I have no way of knowing and that is why I will not force you into this. You have some time to make your decisions." He looked at each of them in turn, "But I won't abandon him, nor will I leave Szayel to his fate. Not only is he the only person I know who could make a cure for the Infection, he is a _friend,_ and I look after my friends."

Ichigo turned away from them, running a hand down his face as he looked out of the window as the sun slowly rose above the horizon. He looked around as he heard movement by the door and his eyes widened as he saw Gin opening the door and walking in, he had a clean bandage around his head which covered his eyeless sockets.

"Gin! What are you doing out of bed?" he asked as he headed over to help him.

"I'm alright Ichigo," he chuckled, "I just came to see what the fuss was all about and I am going to tell you right now... I will come with you to find your friends."

"Gin you can't..."

"I can't see. I know. But that doesn't mean I can't fight. Put a sword in my hand and I am as deadly as the rest of you. Don't make me show you." The silver haired man warned him.

Ichigo frowned at him, "Maybe I want you to show me," He said, "I'm curious, not doubtful now."

"I wouldn't if I were you," Aizen said from behind him, "Gin was trained in fencing, kendo, and iaido. No offence to you Ichigo, but Gin might be one person who could kick your ass, with or without eyes."

"Oh?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow and appraised the silver haired man, "Perhaps another day you can show me, for now we need to prepare for the people who are going to go after Stark and Szayel."

"I'm game." Gin nodded and smirked widely in his direction.

Deciding not to fight it, Ichigo set about preparing for what was coming next, with several trips down to the basement he brought up the remaining Kevlar suits, extra ammunition, extra weapons, and medical packs; he piled them on the counter at the front of the room.

He helped Gin over to the counter and took a few quick measurements before he dug out a sui which would fit him comfortably; he then set a short sword which he had found in the man's hands, followed by a dagger and several medical packs. He sent him off with Aizen so that his lover could help the blind man get changed into the Kevlar.

The strawberry paused mid-way through is search of the box of electrical goods he had found as he saw Unohana come to stand beside him; he shifted his weight from one hip to the other before he stood up straight and looked at the woman.

"Something on your mind?" he asked the austere woman.

"Why are you sticking your neck out for him? He could have taken any one of us, and you aren't especially close to the scientist." She said, folding her arms.

He tilted his head, "In these times our humanity is all that we have left; our humanity and our bonds to each other. Szayel is a good man; so is Stark and Kurotsuchi is a bastard. As far as I am concerned... I am going to help my friends, and possibly take out a threat at the same time." He told her.

"That doesn't make sense." She frowned, "You could die by risking yourself to go out there for two people. Why bother?"

"I risked my neck to go out there after one man, remember?" he said coolly, "I am doing this because it is the right thing to do and because I _never_ leave a man behind. If you have issues with that then stay here. Last time I checked, Stark was one of your men though, are you gonna abandon him?"

Unohana slapped him, the sound of skin on skin made the room fall silent, "You think you know me? What I think? What I believe? Do not me naive, child. That kind of attitude will get you killed."

"If you think you know better than I do then let's see how many of your men are still here!" the strawberry bit back, gesturing to the room, "Everyone here was either lead here by me or by Aizen! The only person you saved was yourself! So before you start calling me naive... Go take a look in the mirror." He hissed and turned his back on her.

The stern woman was lost for words momentarily before she gritted her teeth and snatched one of the suits from the box, "If you think you can lead in the face of death... Then I will follow you."

He glanced at her and narrowed his eyes at her sudden change of heart, "Fine. But if I think you are up to something you will be the _first_ to know."

"I think that's fair." She breathed before she stalked from the room to prepare.

Ichigo watched her go before he rubbed his cheek: the bitch had actually managed to bruise him. He scowled slightly and turned back to the boxes in front of him.

"What was that little display about?" Grimmjow asked as he came to stand beside him.

"No idea. Bitch born whore doesn't like the way I do stuff apparently." He muttered.

Scoffing, the blue haired man touched his shoulder, "Well, I for one am grateful for what you are doing. Thanks Ichigo."

"Don't mention it." He smiled.

"I don't know how long I have left without some form of cure, but I want to be with you; I want to help rescue Szayel. Will you let me come with you this time?"

Ichigo looked at him for several long moments before he nodded, "Consider yourself on board Grimm, take a suit, clean your guns, and get ready for action. And remember... Don't give in to the virus. Keep fighting it until you can no longer breathe."

"I won't let you down." He smiled at him weakly and took a suit and some ammo before he left as well.

He sighed heavily and looked out of the window again before he felt a small hand on his arm; he forced a confident smile as he found himself face to face with Inoue.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Well... You see... Ulquiorra and I... I want to go with you but... I'm not sure I can..." she said uncertainly, picking at her nails nervously.

"How come?" he probed, sensing a problem coming his way.

"Well... You see... I'm kind of... Pregnant." She mumbled.

He deadpanned for a moment before clearing his throat, "Ulquiorra's?"

"Yes..."

"Congratulations." He smiled weakly, "Stay here; if Ulquiorra comes with us I'll look after him. Now it is even more imperative that we get Szayel back. We don't want your child born into a world like this do we?"

Blushing slightly, the shy girl seemed to relax, "No one else knows at the moment, we just want to keep it to ourselves. But... Thank you for understanding. I know Ulquiorra wants to go with you, so knowing that you will keep an eye on him is great."

Touching her shoulder before he watched her scurrying back across the room with a Kevlar suit for her lover he sighed, he couldn't deny that their timing wasn't brilliant but who was he to criticise? He had fallen in love in the middle of an apocalypse as well... Though admittedly he couldn't get pregnant. Hopefully... Who knew what manner of experiments had been done to him?

"I've got him!" Rukia yelled suddenly, standing up from her seat at the computer.

Ichigo shot through the crowd and came to stand beside her, reading the information on the screen before he let out a breath, glancing up as those who had left the room returned in one small group, "Alright, we have his location! Now is the time for you to decide where you stand. We may not survive this; we may get battered and burned... Whether you stay or go... Is up to you, and I will think no more or less of you either way. This is a matter of what is best for you..." he paused and licked his lips, "If you are coming with me... Take equipment from the boxes provided; get changed and meet me on the roof in ten minutes exactly. If we are doing this, we are doing it now."

The strawberry walked through the crowd, his own suit feeling a little tight in the wake of his speech; he could feel himself slipping into the role of a leader, and it wouldn't be long before he would have to consider whether it was what he wanted. If Aizen fell any further down the route of becoming Infected he would cease being able to make decisions and someone would have to step into that role. Could he do it? He had led Byakuya, Renji, and Rukia when they had fled the house; he had picked up Aizen and being the leader for a while longer... It was only when the group got bigger and bigger and they had picked up Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, and Szayel that he had stepped aside and even then he didn't know why.

He felt an affinity running through his veins, and affinity for leading. But there was a huge difference between leading and being a leader. Could he do that? Could he become a leader?

_'I do not know what fate has in store for me, but whatever comes next... I will simply have to deal with it and hope that the others follow. I am strong. I am fast. I have skill. But in the end what am I? I'm a hybrid... I'm no longer simply human, I'm a mixture of humanity and viral weaponry. How can I ask a group of humans to trust me when my own faith is wavering every day? Every day I look in the mirror and ask myself what and who I am...'_ Ichigo stalked up towards the rooftop, collecting his katana and guns as well as the ammunition he needed, _'Maybe if we find him I can question Kurotsuchi myself. Find out what he made me for. What is my purpose? Yes... Yes that is something I can do!'_

Coming to a stop as he exited onto the flat roof, the strawberry closed his eyes and felt the wind as it tousled his spiky hair and breathed over his exposed skin. The wind in his hair, the sun on his face... He could almost forget the blighted Infected for a moment.

Opening his eyes again, no one was there to see the specks of brilliant gold which had nestled among the chestnut brown of his irises. Walking towards the edge of the building, Ichigo saw that a few of the Infected had returned and were once again banging on the doors of the facility, he would have to kill them before he allowed anyone else down there, he didn't want them getting split up this time.

Hooking himself up to his safety wire, Ichigo slid down the side of the building like a spider on a thread, drawing his sword and freeing himself he turned to the shambling corpses before him and prowling towards them, hacking and slicing through them, clearing the path for when the others arrived.

Once the Infected were dead, he turned and looked back up at the roof, hope jumping in his heart as he saw everyone was present except Inoue for her extenuating circumstances. Thirteen of them were going to take on one of the largest scientific facilities Britain had ever seen built, they were going to rescue their friends.

He was going to find answers. Answers which he desperately needed. Questions burned in his mind, both distracting and focusing him to his task. It was time to bring this thing to an _end_.


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks for the amazing reviews for the last chapter! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Fourteen: Next Generation:**

Stark bowed his head as he finished strapping Szayel to the metal slab has he had been ordered to, he brushed several strands of hair from the unconscious man's face before his expression turned guilty and downcast, he turned on the spot as he heard the door open behind him. He swallowed weakly as he saw Kurotsuchi and he hastily stepped away from the prisoner, not desiring to be in the way.

"You have done better than I expected, I am impressed that you were able to get him out without detection." The painted man smirked; revealing dazzlingly golden teeth.

"My daughter's life depended upon the execution of your orders being perfect, so I made them perfect." He answered monotonously.

"Yes... Well y plan has come together without a problem. Just moments ago my cameras picked up movement and I have located my experiment."

Stark licked his lips, "What of my daughter... I've done as you asked... Please let her go. Let me take her away from here." He said in a whisper.

The scientist looked at him suddenly, "Hm? Oh the girl. No. I'm not finished with you yet, soldier, when that band of merry men gets here I am going to be wanting some protection. And you are perfect for that role." He said as he raked his eyes over his former colleague.

Stark faltered at the prospect of taking on Ichigo again, let alone any of the others. The constant fighting for survival had honed their skills and with a man like Ichigo as their leader they'd be formidable. And there was always Unohana to consider... A medical soldier she might be but she was a still a soldier, fully trained to kill when necessary and fully equipped to do so as well.

"Leave us." Kurotsuchi added.

Ichigo panted as he sheathed his sword again, it had surprised him by how many Infected they had encountered, but for some reason he figured that Kurotsuchi had planned for it to be that way. If Stark had been working for him then the scientist probably knew that he at least would have gone after whoever he had had kidnapped.

He glanced around, ensuring that everyone was alright before he gestured for them to get back in their vehicles. The two Jeeps had definitely seen better days now; they were quite battered, and battle scarred. He climbed into the driver's seat of the first and belted himself in before he sped off again, putting his foot on the accelerator as he followed the map to where they had pinpointed Stark to.

Keeping one eye on the road and the other in the mirror so that he could see the other car, he stuck his hand out of the window and made a gesture to Byakuya, who was driving the second Jeep, to speed up. He didn't want to be out in the open for any longer than necessary.

Shooting down the streets, making turns when necessary, conversation was at a minimum, tension was high, adrenaline pumping, hearts racing. It felt like they were charging into war.

Unohana sat forwards suddenly, resting a hand on Ichigo's seat, "If we encounter Stark... Just let me talk to him. He would fight to the death if he had no other option... But I know him better than you do. I might be able to talk him out of doing something foolish."

Ichigo glanced at her before making another quick turning, "Very well. But if he attacks with the intent to kill..." he hesitated.

"I understand." She murmured and sat back again, falling silent.

The facility was over the other side of the city, concealed under what appeared to be a primary school. Ichigo pulled up alongside an overturned formerly sleek silver Jaguar; he climbed out of the car and grabbed his supplies before he walked up the front steps of the school and came to a stop.

He glanced around as the others joined him and he pressed a finger to his lips to quieten them, "We need to examine the school floors before we try to find the entrance to Kurotsuchi's facility, we need to ensure that there is no way we get ambushed by Infected. There are three levels, the gymnasium in the basement; the ground floor and the first floor. I want to split up into three groups... Byakuya take Aizen, Nnoitra, and Rukia; Grimmjow, take Ishida, Gin, Kenpachi, and Nelliel and, I'll take Renji, Ulquiorra, and Kenpachi." He instructed, "Remember to keep in contact through the earpieces, if you find anything or if you need assistance I want to know about it." Without another word, the strawberry turned and stalked into the school.

Light filtered into the derelict building through the shattered windows, glinting off left over tins and cases. Ichigo shielded his eyes as he was blinded by a reflective surface; stepping out of the way he glanced around and cringed slightly at the gore splattered over the walls. The corridors were absolute chaos, alive with litter and overturned desks; stale and stagnant food was splattered across the floor and the walls while blood smeared in every direction, coming in the forms of tiny handprints and little footprints.

"The children..." he heard Nelliel breathe from behind him.

"They are dead and there is nothing we can do." Ichigo stated, detaching himself from thoughts of his two little sisters, "They were already gone before we got here, do not let this cloud your mind. Stay sharp Nell." He offered her a comforting smile before he ordered the groups to split up.

Ichigo led his group down the stairs, heading into the basement tensely; he was forced to reach for a torch out of his pack as the route forwards gradually became darker and darker. He flicked it on and shone the light cautiously around the large and dark gymnasium. Something was tickling at his senses and making his urge to fight kick in, there was definitely something there, something dangerous and threatening.

Slowly prowling down the steps, he crouched slightly as he moved, one hand moving to the hilt of his sword as he sidestepped around the edge of the room, his eyes searching for signs of life as the rest of his group slowly followed him and copied him, peering into the darkness and the illuminated patches his torch lit up.

Frowning slightly, Ichigo lowered his torch and strode towards the centre of the room and drew his katana, cringing as a high pitched screech emanated from him as the metal chaffed the sheath.

Holding his breath, he spun on the spot as he heard a growl and let out a a groan as he felt something dent the Kevlar against his thigh; he looked down and faltered momentarily as he saw a young child, clinging to his left leg with its teeth biting against the hard material that was protecting him.

He swore and brought his free hand down, striking the Infected and raising his sword to strike it down for good; he found himself hesitating despite his previous advice to Nelliel. This was a child. Not too much younger than his little sisters.

As a second bite snarled on his other leg and he shone his torch around, seeing that he was surrounded by demon children.

"Fuck," he swore, and shone his light at the others, "Don't shoot your guns unless you really have to! The noise will attract more!" he cried before he forced himself into action, swinging the blade around forcefully as he struck down the miniature Infected.

He gritted his teeth and forced himself to continue his attack, hating himself with every swing and slice, feeling blood spatter across his face and staining his Kevlar suit as he. He panted as he slew the last Infected and felt sick to his stomach, praying that someone as soft hearted as Nelliel didn't encounter the same thing on one of the other floors.

Byakuya slapped one of the teachers around the face with the butt of his gun, whipping out the dagger he had taken from the equipment box at their safe house, and embedded it in the woman's skull, twisting it with a sickening squelch before he tore it free and watched as she crumpled on the floor.

Turning to the others he let out a startled breath as large man with a mass of frizzy hair lunged at him, mouth gaping open with blood and drool dripping from his shattered teeth. With wide grey eyes, the raven haired male reached up and grabbed his face between his hands, grunting as they fell to the floor under the weight of the larger man; it was all he could do to stop the Infected's mouth descending upon his neck or face.

Then it became a wrestling match, struggling to stop the fiend from scratching at him or biting at him; a groan escaped from between his clenched teeth under the pressure before a sigh broke free as he managed to get the leverage he needed to yank his head around and sever the his spinal column at the base of his neck.

He shook his hair out of his face as he rolled the big man off him and got to his feet with some help from Aizen, "Where are Rukia and Nnoitra?" he asked.

"In the foyer, making sure the hallway is cleared." The brunet answered as he glanced around at the carnage inside the classroom.

"Right, well I think we are done here, let's go and join them." he murmured quietly and wiped his dagger before sheathing it on his hip again.

The duo left the wrecked room and sought out their two other group members; locating them in a smaller classroom surrounded by now dead corpses. He strode over to his sister and rested a hand on her petite shoulder, enquiring if she was alright or not before he touched his ear piece.

"It's Byakuya, the ground floor is clear, we had a little resistance, but that has now been sorted out." He spoke gently as he glanced around, double checking that there were no further Infected lingering in the shadows.

"_Okay, come on down to the gymnasium, I've found the entrance to the facility..."_ Ichigo's voice echoed in his ear and he found himself nodding despite the other not being able to see him.

"We'll be right there." He agreed and cut the connection.

Meanwhile, up on the top floor, "Well... There's nothing here." Grimmjow announced as he slid his handguns back into their holsters across his chest, "How boring! If I find out that the other's have had excitement I'm gonna shoot 'em all."

"Cool it Grimm-kitty," Gin said with a smirk on his face as he navigated the torn up tables and chairs with apparent ease, "I'm sure ya will get a chance to do some fightin' once ya are in Kurotsuchi's lair."

"Grimm-kitty?" Nelliel repeated.

"Oh fuck it, quit calling me that!" he growled as he stalked passed the blind man.

"Grimm-kitty!" Nelliel squeaked, "That's so cute! I must call you it!"

"Now see what you've done?" the blue haired male muttered before he leaned against the wall and called Ichigo.

"_Yeah?"_ the strawberry's voice echoed.

"Nothing up here." He answered, glaring out of the corner of his eye at Gin, "Except a really annoying _fox_."

"_Gin teasing you again? Don't worry he calls me Ichi~berry. Come on down, Byakuya and his group are on their way as well. Got the entrance down here."_

"Won't be long." He said and hung up, "Come on guys, we are going to the basement. Ichigo's found something interesting."

The strawberry lifted his torch slowly as he heard many footsteps on the stairs and smiled as he saw the two groups coming down together, having merged back into one larger group when they had met up.

"The entrance to Kurotsuchi's facility is right here... I am starting to think that the Infection started here." He murmured, "Look at the utter carnage around you, the rooms upstairs look like the result of a rampant animal's attack, the Infected outside are more lazy _most of the time_, these look like wild animals... I think this is the site from which the first Infected were released into the world."

"But why would anyone release that awesome virus into a school?!" Nelliel asked, her expression horrified.

"I don't know... But Kurotsuchi isn't a normal man is he? He's a lunatic." the strawberry shrugged slightly, "I can say for certain that this wasn't where I was kept... The facility I escaped from was kind of clinical and hospitalised."

Aizen shuffled forwards and rested a hand on his lover's lower back, "Are you alright to go back down somewhere like that?

"Huh? Oh yeah! Yeah it isn't a problem at all, I'm not afraid. Just... thoughtful." He smiled before he pulled a thin wire from his pack and slotted it into the lock mechanism on the wall, breaking in the same way he had broken out of the hospital.

With a hiss, the wall dented inwards and slowly slid to the side, revealing a set of stone stairs which lead into a well lit white washed corridor. Ichigo switched his torch off as he seemed to no longer need it and slowly descended the stairs.

As the group moved into the laboratory scene, the door creaked shut behind them and they all drew their weapons, instincts going haywire. Ichigo favoured a small pistol, keeping his finger near the trigger but not on it in case of misfire.

They came out into a long narrow corridor with see though glass tanks either side, Ichigo found himself looking at the tanks, frowning slightly at the different colour fluids that were contained in each tank. Hues of purple, blue, orange, red and green. That was when he saw a severed hand floating in one of the tanks. He felt his stomach lurch slightly as he saw that there were several differing body parts in each tank.

He dragged his eyes away and focused on looking straight ahead, keeping his stomach contents down as he came to the end of the corridor, thankfully, and stepped out into a tank free room.

Glancing around, he found himself in a large round room with a domed ceiling and a few pillars which held it up and strengthened the layout. He strode forwards, hearing the others coming right behind him, he felt some relief at not being in a place like that alone but he also felt concern for their safety.

He froze as he heard the squeak of a shoe against the tiled floor and he lowered his gaze, faltering momentarily as his eyes met smoky blue ones.

"Stark." He breathed, "So it really was you."

"I apologise Ichigo. I never meant to deceive you but my... My..."

"I know about your daughter, Lillinette, and it is okay, I understand. But you need to let me help you now; I can stop Kurotsuchi and get her back for you. Just trust me."

He shook his head frantically, "I'm sorry." He said again, "I can't... I need to protect my daughter."

Ichigo faltered as he watched the man reach behind him and draw a long silver bladed katana, "Stark don't do this!" Unohana cried and ran forwards a few paces, "Don't make us fight you, please! Violence won't solve this!"

"Retsu... I wish I could believe that, but he has my daughter. He has Lillinette and I cannot risk her life to protct any of yours. I am sorry but... This is the end of the line."

Ichigo raised his sword suddenly, his eyes widening as Stark appeared in front of him; he looked at the man with wide eyes before his mouth went dry and he saw his blue irises had turned gold.

"Sousuke... Get the others out of here. I'll deal with this." He breathed.

"But, Ichigo..."

"JUST GO!" he yelled as he pushed Stark back and their blades met again so heavily that he felt his left arm go dead.

He heard the scurrying of their feet and he saw Aizen ushering them across the room to the next exit, following the route towards the heart of the facility. He looked back at Stark slowly and swallowed hard.

"When did you become like me?" he breathed.

"I was like this long before you were Ichigo... You are second generation." Stark murmured and slammed their swords together again as they began dancing across the room with a fury between them they had never encountered before.


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you SO MUCH for the awesome reviews, they are absolutely amazing!**

**Okay, so I haven't gone mad, but this chapter is set 10 months previous to the last chapter. I felt that this was important to explain what is really going on with Stark, so I hope you enjoy it and I hope it intrigues you as much as it did me when I came up with the idea :) Enjoy!**

**Chapter Fifteen: The Truth Which Lies Beyond:**

_**City of London, Ten Months Ago:**_

Stark crouched down behind the stack of strategically placed in the streets as cover; he didn't know why they were bothering, it wasn't like the dead could fire back at them.

He felt movement beside him and he smiled weakly at his wife, "Well... This wasn't quite what I had planned for our anniversary."

"You didn't have anything planned you liar." She answered teasingly before she sobered, "Do you think we'll win?"

He looked away, hearing the worry in her voice, "I... The Major things so."

"The Major is a fool. There were dozens of better locations to arrange the fight, he should have listened to you, he has chosen the easiest location to reach; not the best one. Under his commander, everyone is going to die and reanimate." She said firmly.

"I am just a Captain, I can't tell him what to do... He thinks he knows best." Stark sighed heavily.

"The men would follow your orders if you took command... They all know how foolhardy Major Barragan is, he cares little for the men in his command and would stop at nothing to reach his promotion. He doesn't care about them the way you do." She told him, reaching over, and taking his hand gently, "You need to be ready, love, because if this assault goes badly..."

"I know." He leaned over and kissed her softly, "I will find you. I promise it."

She nodded and kissed him back before she pulled away and disappeared among the gathering crowd of soldiers. Stark watched her go before he rubbed his forehead and tied is hair back in a short ponytail so that it would be out of his face; he then slipped on his helmet and picked up his rifle.

As the sun moved higher into the sky they began to get into position, Stark hadn't moved from his place behind one of the numerous sandbag barriers; two lieutenants moved either side of him, he nodded to Ggio Vega and Shawlong before he rested the underside of his rifle against the top of the sandbags and took a peek through the zoom scope and scanned the empty canvas of bleak country side beyond the outskirts of the city where they had been ordered to make their stand.

There was a defiant feeling of unequalled tension in the air, they all knew what they were facing, and they all knew that there was a certain likelihood that they might not survive the day. As his wife had so corrected said, Major Barragan was an old fool who only had his own best interests at heart.

Wiping a bead of sweat from his brow, he lifted his rifle as a shout came from the commanding officer from somewhere behind him; he could see the first echoes of shambling corpses approaching across the hill, a blight upon the land moving in a large group, almost twice the size of their army. How were they supposed to defeat so many of them?

Aligning his finger against the trigger, licking his lips as they went dry under the stress; he only half listened to the orders which were being shouted before he, and every other soldier present, opened fire on the moving horde of undead creatures which were heading towards them.

It was going well, they were taking them out, the zombies were falling without fail; Stark felt relief running through him as they were able to keep them at a distance of safety to them. However there was a niggling sensation in the back of his mind... Had anyone thought to find out _how many_ corpses were moving? What if there wasn't enough ammunition? What if some of them had sentient thoughts and were able to think strategically? What is someone was controlling them?

He looked down as the tracker strapped to his forearm started to ring out with a deafening whistle and he tapped a couple of buttons, bringing up a map of the underlying area with markers for friendlies and foes. The air was sucked from his lungs by a downpour of shock and he lifted his gaze, "We've got to get out of here!"

"What the fuck are you on about man?!" Vega asked, yelling over the sound of the gunfire.

"It's a trap!" he hollered, "We're in the middle of a giant pit! These monsters are attacking from the front so recklessly... They're doing it because there is a second horde coming around the back!"

"Shit!" he cursed and started shouting orders to those under his command, they continued firing but started to back up, and remaining crouched so that they weren't hit by the bullets from their comrades.

Stark turned once they were at a safe distance and sprinting towards where the Major was stationed, atop of one of the nearby buildings with a sniper rifle.

"Major Barragan!" he yelled as he got closer, "Major we have a problem!"

"You deserted your post!" the large man growled as he turned to look at him, "What are you playing at you little shit? Are you bitching at me?!"

"No... Listen to me! Please!" Stark exclaimed, "This is a trap! Look!" he thrust his forearm in front of the man's face so that he could see the tracker on his arm, he saw the man's eyes narrow slightly before they widened.

Barragan looked up at him and opened his mouth to speak when he was drowned out by a scream from below them on the ground; both men flung themselves to the side of the rooftop, faltering dually as they saw several of their comrades being knocked down by rampant moving corpses before the blood began to spill and the screams grew louder and more dense as more and more soldiers were taken out.

"Get back to your squadron and get them out! We are pulling out!" Barragan exclaimed, shouting to his snipers on the rooftops to evacuate to their nearest drop point, he then got on the radio and started calling through to their aerial back up.

"Yes, Sir!" Stark saluted him, before he sprinted back down the stairs, sprinting through the corridors before he burst out back onto the open battleground, both hordes had reached them and they were like trapped mice scrambling away from an army of feral cats.

He ducked a flying body and ran through the crowds, almost slipping on some blood spatter as he shot back towards where he had left Vega and Shawlong. His attention was caught by a rampant snarl from his left and his eyes went wide as he was barrelled over by a moving corpse, his shock growing as he saw that it was glad in military uniform. This was... He looked at the dog tags around his neck and faltered, it was Di Roy an Officer Cadet; and he shouldn't have even been on the battle field.

Stark let out a roar as his former comrade sank his teeth into his bicep, tearing a chunk of flesh away in the scramble, the brunet screwed his eyes up through the pain as he drew his side arm and shot Di Roy in the forehead, looking away as he was spattered by blood. He panted hard and shoved his now fully dead corpse off of him and got back to his feet, setting off at a run again.

Di Roy worked closely with Shawlong, and if Di Roy had been gotten too... Was there any hope?

He couldn't find Shawlong or Vega anywhere, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to remain in the conflict, there were undead than they could have hoped to contain or deal with. Not without some serious aerial back up in the form of a nuclear bomb.

He glanced around as he heard propellers and he swallowed hard as he saw two dozen Chinook coming over the horizon, Barragan had obviously called them in to ferry them back to safety. He set off at a run, heading toward his designated evacuation point; swallowing his pride he began shooting at the undead around him, no longer distinguishing friend from foe, anyone who wasn't moving towards the helicopters were now foes.

Praying to whatever God was listening he prayed that his wife was safe and unharmed; he shook off the fuzzy heavy feeling which was pounding in his brain as his vision began to blur and he felt incredibly sick. He was a soldier, a bit of fear and nausea wasn't enough to deter him in the face of battle.

Pushing himself hard, faster, stronger, he took out the undead in his path, sprinting up the slope to the helicopter bay; his eyes widened as he saw his wife was already onboard and was seemingly unhurt.

"Captain Coyote!" A Second Lieutenant exclaimed, and upon swinging forward he held out a hand to help the man aboard.

"Yo Nakeem." He greeted, reaching up to accept his hand.

"NO!" Barragan roared suddenly from the other side of the young Second Lieutenant, "Boy, are you blind? He has been bitten! He is infected!"

Stark faltered and glanced at his still bleeding arm, "Oh come on, Sir! You would be dead as well if I hadn't come and found you to tell you-"

"I'm sorry, Captain, but you are now hostile. Step away from the helicopter or I will shoot you." Barragan growled, holding up his sidearm and aiming it directly at the brunet.

"Major..." Stark breathed, licking his lips before he glanced at his wife and looked down, "I understand, Sir."

"You know the code for hostile allies Captain?"

"Sir, yes, Sir." He answered, "Self-destruction in the name of honour, Sir."

"Good man," he Major sat back slowly, "I'm sorry, for what it is worth."

Stark bit his bottom lip and turned away slowly, not baring to watch them fly away he began to walk away, heading back down towards the battle field, there were still some soldiers fighting down there, undoubtedly they had fallen prey to a bite as well and were fulfilling their duties to their kin and country.

"Stop! Let go of me! I'm getting off!" he heard his wife exclaim; he turned and watched as she back handed the Major and scrambled off the Chinook, grabbing two bags of ammunition and two rifles as she went.

"You can't go back down there! We need someone with your medical skills!" the Major snapped, glowering at the woman.

"How about this then... My final diagnosis to you is that you are a fucking asshole whose gun is so far up his own ass that you could shoot someone with your tongue? Good bye Major, and _good luck_ to you Sir." She barked as she slapped the side door shut behind her to silence the man's shouts of protest.

"What are you doing, love?" Stark breathed as his wife joined him.

"What I have to do." She answered as she hauled one of the bags over her shoulder, adjusting her medical supplies to fit with it, "I will not leave you to die out here alone. And you are not fulfilling the duty of a hostile ally; I will not sit back and watch you end your own life. We are going to get through this, like we always do."

"This is why I love you..." he smiled weakly, walking down the slope with her at his side, the air created by the propellers of the Chinook sweeping up dust around them; he reached around and tugged the hair band he had put in place hours earlier.

She looked at him and slowly cocked her rifle, "Let's go to work love."

They worked through the field, assisting their fellow stragglers before slowly watching them succumb one by one to the sickness of the infection that they had been infected with. They put them out of their misery.

Stark found it easier to combat the weary ache which was stretching over him now that he wasn't alone and he had something more to focus on; he was astute in his shots, never wasting a shot or bullet. They couldn't afford to do that.

He panted gently and took a moment of solace behind a partially collapsed garden wall, recovering his breath and trying to steady the pounding in his head as it grew stronger and stronger.

"Ahhh! Stark!"

His head snapped around and his eyes widened as he saw his wife in the arms of a corpse, its teeth buried to the gum in her shoulder; he swore and rolled out of cover, taking aim and shooting the son-of-a-bitch in the head, watching as she collapsed on the ground on her hands and knees, gasping heavily and shaking slightly.

The blue eyed man hurried over and dragged her out of the sight of several miniature hordes, resting her against the wall and pressing his hand against the wound as it pumped blood, similarly to the one on his bicep.

"Get the... Bandages out of my pack, I can... Patch us both up." She panted; her face pale and clammy from the mixture of pain and fatigue.

"Just... Just hold on. Don't you dare leave me, promise me." He murmured as he took the rolls of bandages from her bag and handed one to her.

She stripped off her bag and her bullet proof jacket, and her sleeveless shirt so that she could access her injury properly. It was a good job she was in the Medical Corps, otherwise she might have keeled over at the sight of the oozing and gory wound. Whipping the bandages off him, she began wrapping herself up with an expert touch, ordering him to help her at certain points so that she could bind it efficiently. When she finished she then bound up his bicep and padded it so that it stopped splashing blood.

Stark helped her dress herself again and placed the bags back on her before he glanced around, sitting back again and closing his eyes, "I think... You might have made a mistake when you got off that helicopter."

"No... No I don't think so," she smiled warily, "I wouldn't want to be anywhere other than at your side. I love you Stark. That's never going to change."

"And I love you, but I want nothing more than for you and our daughter to be safe..." he looked down, "We should get out of here and try to find her before-"

"She'll be okay. She's stronger than you and... Braver than me. She'll look after herself, I am certain of it." She soothed him.

"I... I hope you are right. I couldn't stand it if I lost either of you."

"You won't."

They shared a kiss before they got back to their feet and set off again, they moved slower but with agility on their side, and for the most part they were able to navigate with ease, out of the war zone and towards the city, when they found shops deserted; cars overturned and trolleys abandoned in the roads, they saw blood spatter and dropped possessions; sharing a glance they knew that they were thinking the same thing.

Containing the infection had failed, the undead were loose in the city, and civilians were at risk.

There was nothing that either of them could do to help now though, they were already tiring and their ammo wouldn't last forever. They had to find somewhere safe where they could hide and sit it all out. When the world ended and humanity failed, there was nothing more that they could do. They had tried their best, but their best had not been enough.

They found themselves in a small convenience store, hoping to stock up on food and bottled water so that they could lie low for a while. When they went inside, they started raiding the shelves for tinned food, anything which would last for a long amount of time; neither of them saw the CCTV camera which was following their every move.

Suddenly, there was a loud hissing sound which filled the shop, followed an unexpected burst of white mist, it fell around them and made them start coughing, staggering and swaying before they both felt complete weariness take over and they collapsed amid the sleeping gas which had been released.

Hours, or minutes later, he had no idea when it was, he woke from his slumber. The ache in his head had gone, replaced by amazing clarity and strength; his body felt well rested and recovered. And he began to think that he had been suffering from a terrible nightmare.

That theory was crushed when he found that he couldn't move, he was strapped to a metal table, the sort used in post-mortems, yet it was slightly slanted and his body was not completely horizontal.

Shaking his head and blinking to clear his vision, he looked around as far as he could, frowning as he saw that he didn't recognise his surroundings. There were white washed walls, tiled floors, and overhead fluorescent lights swinging over head. There was a wall wide mirror in on the wall in front of him, and something made him wander if it was in fact a two way mirror.

He dropped his head back and wondered what he become of his wife; his concern for her grew as he remembered the bite she had sustained. Was she... Had she become one of _them_? He knew that he couldn't have because he was still capable of thinking clearly and he didn't have any urge to kill or bite.

His head snapped around abruptly as he heard a mechanical door slide open; his eyes met startling gold ones, and for a moment he thought that one of the undead had just come to finish him off, but then he realised that the man before him was completely _human_.

"Ah, you are finally awake." He said, an insane smile stretching over shining golden teeth, "It is about time."

"W-Where am I? Who are you?" he asked, "My wife... Is she... Is she alive?"

"You ask a lot of questions, I didn't expect for you to be as lively as this..." the other murmured thoughtfully as he approached his bedside, "My name is Kurotsuchi Mayuri, I saved your life, Captain Stark Coyote."

"You know my name?"

"You wear dog tags." Kurotsuchi said as though he was stupid, "That and your squadron was in my employment. Now, how do you feel?"

"Wait, how is my wife? What happened? Please tell me, sir..." he said desperately.

He sighed exasperatedly, "The woman is in the same condition as you are, in the room next door, she is already awake and eating. I will let you see her after I have my answers," he folded his arms, "Without assistance you would have died, yet I found no other soldiers who survived being bitten for as long as the two of you. So I gave you a lifeline."

"A lifeline?" he repeated in confusion.

"You will not become one of the Infected undead, instead you are now superior to your average human. A hybrid of sorts, you will maintain your humanity with the strength and power of the Infected. You are the first of your kind, the two of you." He sighed, "Now, how do you feel?"

"Lively and uh... I feel very focused, like I need something to consider or think about before I go mad." He answered, "Also kind of itchy."

"That will be the gown you are wearing," he stated, "Well, from your vital signs it would appear that you are definitely out of danger, so, I will take you to your wife."

"Thanks."

Stark staggered as he was allowed to get up, his legs felt like they had never been used before, like he was a newborn, but he soon found his footing and made his way after the man; following him into the room next door; relief flooded him as he saw his wife sat up and sipping from a glass of water.

"Stark!" she said, standing up as she saw him, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, love, are you okay?" he replied, taking her in his arms as they came together.

"I'm okay, I'm better than I would have been otherwise." She answered, resting her head on his chest, "I was so scared that you were dead..."

"I know, but I'm not. I'm alive and kicking and... This Kurotsuchi man had helped us." He said softly.

She looked up at him slowly, "There is always a catch."

The catch turned out to be none stop experiments upon them both: blood samples, scans, physical exercises, and emotional tests. It made them both incredibly tired, so tired that they had no energy left to question their fates.

But after weeks of constantly being hounded, something happened which changed their fates, Kurotsuchi had been getting twitchy, his fingers jumping during experiments, his concentration elsewhere. There had been a distant look in his eyes when he glanced at his two powerful creations, something akin to _disinterest_. Something, or someone else had his attention now, and neither of them knew what that meant for them.

It was per chance that Stark stumbled across the answer one day while cleaning the scientist's office. Purely by chance, it was chance alone, he glanced at the CCTV screens which littered the room; they were all focused on the same scene, the same part of the country, following a small group of survivors.

It was a predominantly male group with only one woman; the woman was small and petite with short black locks of hair which hugged her heart-shaped face; the men were varied in appearance, a redhead; a blue haired brute-ish man, a brunet, a man with shoulder length black haired, a man with short black hair and a man with brilliantly pink hair; lastly there was a strong looking youth with startling orange spiky hair, his face was set in a firm scowl but was tinted with strength and willpower.

The cameras seemed to zoom in on the orange haired man, almost in a stalker-ish manner. Stark began to wonder if this was the reason for Kurotsuchi's distraction... He had a new infatuation.

"What are you doing in here Captain?" the scientists' voice was behind him and made him jump.

"Kurotsuchi!" he exclaimed, "I was cleaning the office."

"YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED IN HERE! GET OUT! GET OUT!" the man's face was the picture of rage as he shoved and hit him until he retreated from the room.

Stark was left stunned, staring at the door was it was slammed in his face; he felt a creeping sense of panic wash over him and that was it. He couldn't stay there. He couldn't remain like this. He had to leave, and he had to do it now.

He ran down the corridors, searching for his wife; he found her in one of the testing rooms, having just had another blood sample taken. She looked around as he burst in and before she had time to say a word he had her hand in his and was dragging her away.

"What are you doing?" she asked as her shoulder was almost yanked out of her shoulder by the force.

"We're leaving... We can't stay here, he'll end up killing us." He breathed, "He's got a new fantasy, we won't be around for much longer if he has his way and gets his new eye candy."

She swallowed but nodded, "Then we need to find a way out."

Stark led the way, navigating the corridors and the hallways, he went wrong a few times but eventually the air changed and they rushed towards the exit, neither caring about the hell they were to discover outside of these safe walls.

Just as he pushed open the door, the intercom rang above their heads, _"I will let you leave for now, but I can find out with a few button taps... You had best remember who saved your lives."_

They shared a look as they heard Kurotsuchi's voice before they came to a silent agreement and fled the building.

Almost as soon as they were outside they came across the devastation, there were no Infected in sight, but there was blood and gore, bits of flesh and broken bone; litter of newspaper and cans which had strewn the ground in the haste of escape. The whispers of life were absent, and they realised straight away that they were alone.

Walking aimlessly through the city, they came across a crashed Chinook, and just a short distance away from it, the partially burned body of their former Major lay with a single bullet in the forehead.

"So... There is some justice in the world." Stark breathed, smirking slightly before he stepped over his superior officer's corpse and continued walking, he felt pity for the other soldiers who had been killed in the crash, but Barragan deserved none of that sympathy. It was his fault that the line had fallen. He had never been a tactician, whereas Stark had been. Strategic and tactically focused, he should have been allowed to speak his mind at the meeting to set up where they would hold the fort. Maybe if he had been, the city would have been saved instead of corrupted with tainted walking corpses.

Barragan had a lot to answer for.

"Look!" his wife pointed at a large building up ahead, it was the remnants of a science facility, the doors were open, but it seemed scarce of life or undead life, "We can take refuge there!"

"Good idea, if it's a science facility it will have links to one of the Military Corps, there might be equipment and stuff in there. We can hole up there for a while... It should be safe." He agreed.

They tiptoed into the derelict building, they needed safety and shelter so that they could recover from their experiences and equip themselves to take on the end of the world.

Finding a set of metal stairs which seemed to lead down into a basement, they descended, locating a huge warehouse sized basement which housed crates of food, bottled water and clothing, as well as weapons and all the equipment they could dream of. It also seemed like although the world no longer had power, this building was controlled by solar energy, and its faculties still worked.

Stark switched on the lights, wincing as he was blinded momentarily before he began to become accustom to it; he walked forwards, exploring thoroughly before he could relax. His eyes widened as he heard a loud gargled groan from his side and he spun, coming face to face with one of the Infected; its mouth hanging open and heading for his throat.

A loud 'thunk' sound filled the air and he watched as the corpse fell with a scalpel embedded in the base of its skull; raising his gaze he found himself looking at his wife, his beautiful wife... Her eyes were golden and shining like sunshine, her body tensed for battle, and her hand outstretched from the ranged attack she had just made.

She had never seemed more beautiful to him before. Beautiful, skilled, and absolutely deadly.

Ichigo let out a cry as his shoulder was impaled by another sword, this one wasn't Stark's; he turned his head slowly and faltered, his eyes widening and his mouth hanging open as his new assailant looked back at him.

"W-What are you doing?" he gasped, hunching as the sword was retracted, only to be embedded in his gut before he was pinned against the wall, unable to pull himself free as his wounds bled. Cuts to his face dribbled blood from his ongoing fight with Stark, and now the two wounds caused by his new attacker.

He wasn't healing as fast, maybe it was because his injuries had been caused by people like him, he didn't know. But he didn't want to find out either.

"I cannot allow you to hurt my husband, Ichigo, I'm sorry, but his life and the life of my daughter means more to me than you do." His assailant responded coldly as they moved to Stark's side.

"Don't make me fight you both..." he breathed, "We should be fighting together not... Not like this."

"No, Ichigo, we cannot work together, because you are a threat. And if Kurotsuchi wants you back he can have you back... But it will be in little pieces."

"Think about what you are saying! What you are doing! I have only ever tried to help you both!" he exclaimed as his attacker drew close.

"Help? You have been nothing more than a hindrance. Thinking that you were special? Thinking that you were humanity's last hope? We believed that Kurotsuchi made you because you were stronger and better than us... But I guess in the end... You're weaker than we are. It is a pity, I am sure he will be disappointed." Drawing a scalpel from the folds of the Kevlar suit they wore, his attacker drew closer still, pressing the blade against his chest, just above his heart, "I'm sorry."

"Don't do this... Please, don't do this..." he breathed.

"I have to." They said, drawing the blade back before plunging it forwards.

His eyes went wide and a single cry left his lips, "Unohana!"


	16. Chapter 16

**Phew, so here is a new chapter finally! I've gotten a bit behind thanks to some nasty migraines but at last here it is! I hope you enjoy and... Yes I did rip that scene from Resident Evil (if you've watched the film you will know what scene I mean *laughs*) so no, I have no claim to that scene whatsoever.**

**Chapter Sixteen: Reminiscent:**

Aizen sighed as they came to a dead end and he ran a hand through his hair, this entire place was a maze of indistinguishable proportions. He had noticed Unohana disappear not long after they had left Ichigo and Stark to fight, and his concern for his lover was growing stronger with each passing minute. But his concern for himself and the safety of his companions was even greater.

The longer they spent running blindly around the laboratory the more likely it became that they would come into some form of trouble, most likely in the form of a large horde of Infected released by Kurotsuchi to prevent them from rescuing Szayel.

It seemed like the devious tactical manoeuvre the man would make if he was pressurised into it. Letting out a breath, the brunet turned back to his fellow companions.

"Alright... I have no idea where we are supposed to go from here. It seems like every turn we make leads us to another dead end..." he said honestly.

"It's like a freaking maze..." Renji sighed as he leaned against the wall, "All the walls look the same, the floors; the ceiling... Do you think it was built like this on purpose?"

"Probably," Aizen grumbled, "Maybe we should mark the walls or something so that we know which ways we have already been..."

"Good idea," Rukia pulled a black marker from her bag and presented it before them, "I will draw a line along the wall when we walk."

"Just make sure it IS a line and not one of those creepy rabbit drawings you do..." Renji breathed, glancing around as he heard someone snigger; he flushed slightly as he saw that it was Byakuya.

With a few shared murmurs, the group began moving again with Rukia drawing a thick black line so that they would get a little less lost. And slowly but surely they began to migrate their way through the labyrinth of grimy, unkempt stone walls and stone floors. This entire section looked more like a warehouse or a military base than a laboratory.

The large industrial lights began to flicker above their heads, increasing the tension which was coiling through their ranks like a wanton snake. When the lights suddenly went out with a harsh crack, leaving them in complete darkness, they fell silent, fear resonating within each person individually and as a group.

"Put on your night vision goggles..." Aizen breathed hesitantly, hearing several mechanical thuds from up ahead as he scrambled about with one of his utility packs and wrestled his own goggles from the bag and slipped them on his face, just in time to see a bloodied and rotting face looming up on him; he shot it through the eye out of instinct and swore, "We have Infected!" he announced, "Get those goggles on now!"

It turned into a matted chaotic scramble for life; the corridors filled with undead corpses and flashes of light as the survivors fired their guns and hacked at them with blades when they got too close for comfort.

It was a massacre by Aizen's estimations; for every Infected which was felled another stumbled into its place. Gun fire was drawing more and more attention and there seemed like there would be no reprieve.

He glanced around as he saw felt a hand on his shoulder and he saw Gin, the silver haired man was drawing his sword; Aizen's eyes widened momentarily before he called out, "Everybody get down!" he yelled as he dived for the floor. He heard the crumpling of several other bodies before there was a flash of blinding light from above them and the moaning from the Infected went silent as their corpses crumbled. The brunet felt several splashes of fetid blood drip onto his face and he knew Gin had been successful.

"What... Was THAT?!" Grimmjow exclaimed as he slowly sat up, staring around at the beheaded corpses surrounding them through his night vision lenses."

"That... Was awesome!" Nnoitra exclaimed, "What was it?!"

"Technology," Aizen smirked slightly as he stood up and brushed himself down, "I had no idea you still had _that_ sword, Gin."

"Ah well, ya know me, I'm all over nostalgia like a rash!" the blind man answered as he wiped the small blade of his sword clean.

"How did you kill all of those Infected with such a puny blade?!" Kenpachi demanded as he muscled forwards, resting his baseball bat on his broad shoulder.

Gin chuckled, "The sword was a present... A new branch of weapon. The blade expands incredibly fast and has an incredibly long reach."

"Well, thank whatever God is listening." Ishida breathed as he nudged his glasses back up his nose.

Stepping over the headless corpses and tiptoeing over the smears of blood, the group moved onwards through the darkness, now on course with an endless corridor which seemed to go on forever, and ever, and ever.

The further they walked, the more the route seemed to decline, sinking lower and lower underground; the pathway sloped quite steeply and forced them to leaned against the wall just to steady themselves.

As they put more distance between them and the volley of corpses they had been assaulted by, they began to encounter working lights coming few and far between as they hung above their heads and lit small circular patches of light on the stony floor.

As they grew closer together and began to fully illuminate the passage, Aizen removed his night vision spectacles and put them away, hearing the others doing the same thing.

The ground began to flatten and level out; the walls were narrower and the passage more claustrophobic, but by the same token they felt safer because even if they were attacked again, the Infected could only squeeze a certain number of themselves down the hall.

Aizen's eyes narrowed slightly as he saw a glass door up ahead and he picked up his pace, moving quickly towards it, he raised his side arm cautiously and peered through the glass, seeing a sterile white room beyond. He glanced the door open before he saw a a latch to open the door with and hesitantly grasped it, twisting clockwise roughly before he stepped back and raised his gun as the door hissed and depressurised before it slid into the wall and opened up.

He glanced back at the others before he shrugged slightly and hesitantly crept forwards, stepping over the threshold and going inside.

Directly ahead of him was a partitioning wall, it was about six foot long and only a few inches thick; he slowly side stepped, swapping to his favoured rifle as he spied the room beyond, finding it to be empty.

There was a large biohazard sign painted expertly in the centre of the ovular room, there were several metal tables which seated hi-tech computers and folders containing piles and piles of paper work. A gathering of large lights hung overhead while several smaller ones were fixed to the walls, casting a multitude of colours into the full body length tanks which were positioned against the walls at various points of the room.

There were twelve tanks, each with a different coloured light filtering through the thick syrupy water which filled them; the most disturbing thing was that four of the tanks were occupied by people.

Aizen walked over to one of the tanks slowly and his eyes widened, "Gin... It's Rangiku!" he breathed, "She is inside some kind of... Tank..."

"What?" the silver haired man asked as he navigated the room and joined his former employer, "Is she alive?"

"She's wearing some kind of oxygen mask which is allowing her to breath, and there is a small screen on the side which is monitoring her vital statistics. She seems in good health..." the brunet answered, confused as to why the woman was in a tank and how she had gotten there to start with.

"Hey! This is the kid off Stark's photo!" Renji exclaimed as he stood in front of another tank, this one containing a small child with brilliant green hair who was almost rigged up to machines and oxygen, "This is his daughter! Lillinette!"

Aizen looked around and raised an eyebrow, "You're right... That is the girl." He agreed before he looked at the two other occupied tanks.

One of the other tanks held a very small and petit male, with cropped hair and a gathering of pale purple diamonds under his left eye, the screen beside his tank read the name: Luppi. But without any further details.

"Oh. My. God." Grimmjow breathed suddenly, his face going pale as he looked inside the last tank.

"What is it Grimmjow?" Ulquiorra asked as he approached the tank, "Do you know him?"

"Do I know him? Fuck yes... I..." he swallowed hard, "That's Ilford Granz."

Ichigo punched Unohana hard in the face moments before the blade penetrated his skin, knocking her back and narrowly avoiding a punctured heart. He panted hard and yanked the scalpel which had become buried in his Kevlar suit, throwing it aside before he grabbed the sword which was still pinning him to the wall; groaning and struggling he slowly pulled himself free and staggered as he almost collapsed on the ground.

Pressing a hand against the bleeding wound, he stood up slowly and looked at the married couple, "If we... Have to fight then we'll fight... But don't expect me... To go down easily." He told them both, throwing Unohana's sword and watching as it impaled the wall just above the woman's head.

Stark appeared in front of him and brought his sword down towards him, his eyes were saddened but cold and indifferent at the same time; yet the powerful blow he delivered was full of certainty and determination. Ichigo met it with his sword and moved to the side, kicking him in the gut as he let his strength override everything else. He knew he wouldn't win this fight unless he poured everything into it.

He let out a roar as he flew at him again, striking so hard that he forced the man backwards into the wall, blossoming a plume of thick dust before he ducked and turned on his heel as he sensed Unohana behind him; he blocked her attack and gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowing as he looked into her swirling golden irises.

He snarled at her and pushed her away, doing a back flip as Stark shot over his head before he turned and met his sword with his own, ignoring the small sparks which flew off because of the clash of metal on metal; his eyes widened momentarily before he bent over backwards, smirking slightly as he watched Unohana slap Stark instead of him.

He flipped out of the way lithely and faced them, holding himself in a comfortable but formidable position before he watched the pair of look towards him, both their eyes glowing like fireflies.

"What? Did you think I was going to fight fair?" he asked before he laughed and wiped a bead of sweat from the side of his face before he growled at them both and ran forwards, jumping at the last moment and leaping over their heads, using the pillar just behind them to kick off, turn and kick the woman in the face. He slashed downwards with his sword and his eyes narrowed as he snagged the band around her long dark hair.

Ichigo touched down and watched as Unohana touched her reddened cheek before she slowly pulled the broken band from her hair and allowed the long tresses to roll free down her back and chest; she looked at him with an expression somewhere between anger and amusement before she lashed out, slashing his cheek and drawing blood with her nails alone.

The sound of metal on metal rang through the room as their fight continued, Ichigo was able to stand on par with them when he concentrated by the constant pressure of the fight was grinding on his concentration abilities and he found himself getting a few too many cuts to the face and arms, even his Kevlar suit wouldn't protect him forever if he kept taking hits.

He had to pull something out of the bag soon or he would be pretty much a dead man; although he had manage to make an assortment of injuries on his enemies, they had more experience than he did and they weren't flagging nearly as much as he was.

Panting hard and leaned against one of the walls for support he licked his slightly crackled lips and hunched as he tried to recover his breath; he glanced up as he saw Unohana moved to strike, only to be stopped by Stark. The man had honour that was for sure.

Ichigo straightened up hesitantly, pressing a hand against the wound in his abdomen; he tipped his head back and closed his eyes, thinking about Aizen and the others who had gone on ahead. They were all expecting him to catch up in the end. He couldn't let them down.

Letting out a long pent up breath, Ichigo forced himself to straighten up, he turned to face the pair before him and bit by bit opened his eyes, unaware that his chestnut brown irises were being swallowed by brilliant gold while his sclera were devoured by a black film which appeared out of nowhere and crawled across both eyes.

He shot forwards suddenly, without warning and without making a sound, each footfall on the ground clattered like a million bricks crumbling from a decimated building and his blood was gushing through his veins like liquid lava. His heart was beating quicker and quicker in his chest; feeling like it would break out at any moment and fall to the floor with a squelch.

Bringing his blackened katana around without hesitation, he watched as Stark raised his own sword in defence but he didn't falter, he poured every little bit of strength and energy he had into this one swing.

He cut straight through the silver metal of the brunet's sword, watching as his eyes widened in shock as his throat was nicked by the tip of Ichigo's blade and blood was spewed from the small thin wound as he collapsed to the ground and gargled for breath.

Continuing the swing, Ichigo brought it around and carved through the ends of Unohana's hair, cutting off a good three inches of the black locks. His eyes narrowed as he watched the woman shriek and fall to her husbands' side, applying pressure to the bleeding wound as she foolishly turned her back on her enemy.

He panted hard and took a step back, kicking Stark's sword aside before he wiped his mouth and sheathed his sword, pulling one of his pistols free from its holster instead as he brought it level with her head.

"Give me one good reason... Why I shouldn't shoot you the fuck down." He snarled, barely recognising his own voice through the thick waves of malice.

"If he dies... You can kill me without concern." She said waveringly as she attempted to stem the flow of blood, "But you had best prepare to lose yourself as well."

"What do you mean?" he asked suddenly, frowning at her.

"You're blood may be special enough to have combated the virus, making you a higher level being... But the moment you lose yourself in bloodlust your blood will react and you will become a monster far stronger than any your friends can cope with... If you are not carefully you will destroy them all." She told him as she brushed Stark's cheek with her free hand.

Ichigo stared for a moment, glancing towards the passage which would lead him in the direction of his companions, her words haunted him and in reflection of this the black and gold colourations in his eyes dimmed and retracted as he reverted to his usual self.

"I missed the artery so it we bandage his neck up until we get back you'll be able to clean it properly and stitch him up." The strawberry told her suddenly as he knelt down on Stark's other side and handed her several rolls of bandages from his own medical pack.

"What? Why are you..." she frowned at him.

"I told you... I respect Stark, I respect you... It wasn't me who wanted to fight. I want to help him get his daughter back... To get _your_ daughter back." He told her quietly, "I have no idea what happened to my family when the virus broke out, I don't know if they are dead or alive but it drives me to insanity just thinking about it. I can't imagine how hard it must be to know your daughter's fate lies in the hands of a madman." He murmured with a frown.

Unohana watched him for a moment before she folded a piece of sterile gauze and gently pressed it into the wound before she began winding bandages around her husband's neck, "We would do anything to protect her." She confirmed.

"Then let me help you Unohana." He reached over and took her hand, "Let me help you."

"How?"

He sat back on his heels for a moment as he considered it, "Kurotsuchi wants me... So let him have me. Finish patching Stark up and pretend you have defeated me; take me to him. If we can knock him out, we can search this place and find your daughter, and Szayel, and the others before we get the hell out."

"Your plan is risky, and it has many flaws... But it might just work." She breathed.

Grimmjow took a shaky step back and stared at Ilford's face, he seemed so peaceful, but he was littered with bite scars, all over his face and body. He was naked inside the tank, as were all the others, but it didn't matter to him, what mattered was that Ilford was alive!

"We should get them out of the tanks before we move on," Byakuya said as he sheathed his gun and moved to look at the computers, "We have no idea if we will have time to return after getting to Szayel after all."

"You're correct." Aizen agreed.

The grey eyed male nodded and tapped a few keys on the board before he pressed his finger against the touch screen and activated the decompression and release process.

He looked around and watched as the water in the tanks bubbled as it heated up slightly to kill any remaining bugs and infections carried by the hosts of the tanks. Byakuya's looked around suddenly as there was a loud beeping from the consol behind him and he swore loudly and flew towards it, tapping wildly at it before his breath hitched.

"No... No. No. No!" he exclaimed.

"What is it?!" Aizen demanded.

"The computer... It must have had a dormant defence mechanism... It activated when I set the tanks to open... I can't... Seem to stop the program." He explained desperately as he fought against the most superior computer program he had ever encountered.

"Well what is happening?!" Grimmjow shouted as he rested his hand on the glass of Ilford's tank.

Byakuya opened his mouth to answer when a loud fizzling sound interrupted him, "Oh... My God..."

They all looked around slowly and focused on Luppi's tank which was the source of the sound; their eyes widened as they watched a gauze like pattern of lasers descend down the length of the tank, shredding the sleeping man into tiny pieces before there was a loud grinding sound and a hatch above the tank opened, there was a gushing noise which ran down the tube connecting the hatch to the ceiling and beyond before several fat fish were dropped into the water and they instantly dived for the fresh food source.

"STOP THE PROGRAM NOW!" Aizen roared as the fizzing sound returned, this time in Rangiku's tank.

Byakuya flinched and began typing like a man possessed, battling the software of the computer and the imaginary countdown of the clock in his head as the fizzing filled his ears and beat like a drum in his skull. He gasped as the screen flickered green and relaxed as the fizzing sound died out, only to return moments later at a faster rate.

Letting out a yell, Grimmjow yanked his shotgun free and shot the glass tank, watching as it shattered and the cinnamon haired woman was propelled out among the thick water, at exactly the same moment as the laser came down; the ground dropped to the floor to avoid being cut to ribbons as the lack of glass meant that the laser was set loose on the room and they panted heavily as it died out.

"Let's not do that again..." Renji murmured to Byakuya as they got to their feet moments later, apparently safe now that the program had gone down.

Gin staggered towards the unconscious form of his wife and crouched down, placing a sheet over her naked body before he felt for her face and pulled the oxygen mask away, "Rangiku?"

"Is she alright Gin?" Aizen asked quietly as he joined them.

"Yes, she is alive. Hopefully she will wake up in a moment." The blind man confirmed thoughtfully as he brushed his fingers through her wet hair.

The brunet looked around as the others set about releasing Lillinette and Ilford; the look on Grimmjow's face was simply heartbreaking and he had never seen it on the man before.

The blue haired man took Ilford in his arms and sat down against the wall with him, covering his modesty as he brushed his hair back off his face and smiled weakly, "God, you still know how to surprise me even after all this time." He chuckled, "I thought you were dead..."

His eyes widened as Ilford let out a little cough as he began to come around; that was when he noticed the way his chest was heaving, as though he was struggling to breathe; he cupped his cheek and smiled as his eyes opened slowly.

"Grim?" he rasped.

"Hey, don't strain yourself... I'm here..." he confirmed softly.

"S... So sorry... Grim..." he panted, "... I'm so... Glad you're alive..."

He shook his head, "Don't be sorry... You never need to be sorry to me."

"I... I do... Because I... I'm going to... Leave you again..." he grunted and held his chest weakly, "... I can't... I can't breathe Grim... I'm s... Sorry..."

He swallowed hard and shook his head, smiling at him, "No, you're gonna be fine Ilford, I'm going to save you."

"You already did."

The blue haired man leaned down and pressed his lips against the other's forehead, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth as he felt him becoming motionless against him. He felt his eyes well up and he let out a whine under his breath as he pulled back slowly and looked down at him. Ilford was dead, his body not strong enough to cope after the extensive experiments he had been subjected to in Kurotsuchi's care.

Grimmjow rocked him gently before he let out an animalistic howl, his eyes spilling over and his heart aching, to have his first love return for a few minutes, only to have him stolen away again.

"Grimmjow... I'm so sorry," Nelliel breathed as she leaned down and touched his shoulder.

"Don't... I don't want to hear it..." he ground out, his voice shaking, "Just go away..."

Aizen licked his lips and walked over slowly, "Grimmjow we have to move."

"Then move." He said simply.

"We need you to come with us." He pointed out as tactfully as he could.

He looked up at him, his eyes reddened, "I can't leave him here... Not in this place..."

"I'm sorry Grimmjow... You don't have any other options." He told him, "At least here, he won't be subjected to the Infection; he won't come back and try to kill you... You need to leave him behind. I'll give you five minutes to say your goodbyes, but after that... We have to go." He told him firmly before he turned away and headed towards the exit.

Kenpachi had Stark's daughter on his back, she and Rangiku seemed to have been the only two strong enough to survive being woken back up; on top of that neither of them seemed to be Infected by some miracle.

He felt for Grimmjow, he really did, and if it had been Ichigo he knew he wouldn't have wanted to leave him behind either. It was cruel and it was harsh, but they had to consider their own lives first. The dead couldn't help them.


	17. Chapter 17

**Thanks for the lovely reviews, long may they continue! I hope you enjoy the chapter :3**

**Chapter Seventeen: Beside Me In The Dark:**

Aizen looked around as one by one they dropped down the hatch in the floor and into a dark concrete corridor; there was water on the floor and mould on the walls, a pungent odour of rotting and decay floated towards them and surrounded them, he was able to stop himself from gagging but he heard someone behind him retching in response; he couldn't say he was surprised.

Treading carefully, he cringed inwardly as the sound of their feet splashing in the water echoed up and down the route ahead but he continued regardless, they had all come too far to turn back now.

The maze like set up of the laboratory, multiplied by the sewer tunnel beneath the main level made him wonder just how many floors there were; he began to judge that the entire facility was a hell of a lot larger than they had originally considered.

He noticed that the further they got through the building the more he felt like he could focus; he felt like his old self rather than the slowly corrupting body he was becoming. He had noticed a change in Grimmjow's behaviour as well; despite the horror of losing Ilford he had become more alert and less troubled.

Perhaps there was something in the air.

Darkness was obliterated by a light at the end of the tunnel; it was bright and luminescent. The group moved towards it, keeping their eyes peeled in case they should be attacked mid-stride by any on-looking Infected.

Aizen cautiously stepped out of the shadowed tunnel and into the well lit room, he looked around quickly and scanned the area for enemies, he paused as he saw several bloodied trays with varying scientific equipment scattered clumsily.

From everything Szayel had said, Kurotsuchi Mayuri was a neat and tidy scientist who liked to be precise in his work and keep the optimum cleanness in his workspaces. This did not appear to be like him at all.

"Stay on your guard, possible foes ahead." He breathed, knowing he had been heard via the communication devices they were still wearing.

"Could it be that we have finally penetrated the snake's lair?" Byakuya's voice crackled through his ear piece.

"Perhaps." He answered, "Yet I find myself doubting that the man would leave his workstation in such disarray given what we know of his personality."

"I must agree." Grimmjow murmured, "Szayel always said the Boss was clean, tidy, and efficient. This looks like the station of a deranged murderer."

Aizen tensed at the blue haired man's words and the silence between them made him think that Grimmjow was considering his own words and applying them to the fact that they had yet to locate Szayel. Not to mention the trap-ridden tanks they had found Rangiku, Ilford, Lillinette, and the unfortunate Luppi in. This man was mad. He was crazed and he didn't give a damn about human rights.

With that thought in mind, he hastened to hurry onwards, there was a door the other side of the room, and he swept towards it, checking the room beyond before he slowly nudged it open and side-stepped inside.

As they turned the corner Aizen stopped dead, his boot making an unfortunate squeak against the tiled floor which drew the even more unfortunate attention of the zombies which stood between them and the next door.

-/-

Ichigo panted heavily as he helped Stark down the corridor, the man was heavier than he had imagined and even with Unohana's assistance he weighed a damn ton.

"Time to cut down on the cheesy tuna melts I think..." he commented coyly as they took a break at an intersection between three separate hallways.

"But they're my favourite." The brunet answered with a weak smile.

The strawberry glanced at him and rolled his eyes dramatically, "Yeah well... Get over it." He looked around as he felt a shiver run up his spine and he frowned slightly, hoping that the others were okay.

"It is the Infected," Unohana told him as she reloaded her gun, "There is a gathering of them on the next floor down."

"How many floors are there?" he asked curiously.

"Twenty floors, the three school levels above us, this floor, plus a further sixteen below us. The facility is one of the largest in the Northern Hemisphere." She told him, "It goes several hundred leagues under ground, though several of the lower floors are only accessibly by train."

"There... Is a train under here?"

"Of course."

"Right... Because this is entirely normal." He muttered, "Come on, we should move on before we get caught."

The three got to their feet and took a couple of steps before there was a loud grinding sound and they all shared a look before the ground cracked open and swallowed them into the dark abyss below.

Ichigo landed with a cry of pain as his wrist snapped under the force of his body's impact and he curled up, trying to block the pain as he looked around and saw Unohana and Stark had fallen beside him.

"What the hell was that?!" he demanded as he sat up slowly.

"Mayuri must be watching us." Stark groaned; "He is the only one with absolute access to the controls of the building."

"You aren't quite right there, Love." Unohana ventured, "He never removed Szayel from the control list. He is capable of doing this too."

"But how would Szayel have gotten control of the building? Surely he would have let us know somehow." Ichigo frowned.

"Not necessarily," she tilted her head, "It is possible that he _wanted_ to be kidnapped. He is one of the most brilliant minds of this century and he has a hell of a lot more to offer than making a vaccine against Infection... Mayuri offered him that when they first worked together but... Szayel was afraid the purpose of the experiments, the virus."

The strawberry faltered slightly, "No... No he..." he paused, "Szayel would never betray Grimmjow." He said certainly.

"We shall see." She said softly before she picked herself up and slowly helped her husband to his feet, "Let me bind that wrist for you Ichigo and-" she paused as his wrist made a crackling noise before he cringed and wiggled his fingers.

"It healed." He stated.

"Interesting, so it is just the injuries we inflict upon each other that take longer to heal." She murmured before shrugging and looking left and right.

After a few minutes of trying to decide which way to go, Ichigo helped Stark sling an arm around his shoulders so he could assist the blue eyes man in walking again as they headed down the corridor in the left direction.

The corridor was a little bit bleak, the lights were dim and there was water on the floor which was about half an inch deep, but it made quite a splash when they walked and it was growing to be a nuisance.

Just at the point of losing his temper, Ichigo saw a light up ahead and glanced at Unohana before they headed towards it with a renewed speed.

He pushed the large door open and half carried Stark inside before he froze at the sight before him and his mouth fell open slightly, "Well fuck me... Who said we had bad luck?" he asked.

"You think this is good luck?" Unohana asked as she flicked the safety off her gun.

"Yeah I do... After all, there are none of those giant things around are there?" he smiled before he sat Stark down by the wall and drew his assault rifle as he observed the numerous Infected which stood between them and the next door way.

"Ichigo?"

His head snapped around as he saw a gathering of people at a door not far from the one they had come through, "Sousuke?!"

"Thank the gods that you are alright..." the brunet sighed before he put his rifle back in its holster and drew his favoured katana instead, "Shall we?"

"What a romantic offer, how can I ever refuse?" he asked with a smile and a wink before he ran into the throes of Infected, feeling his lover right beside them as they were given extra cover by the skilled gun fire of their comrades.

An exuberant laugh escaped Ichigo as he danced between the clustered and fetid corpses, chopping and hacking through them like they were little more than paper; no longer flinching under the blood spray but rather revelling it as he slipped lithely between outstretched arms and stuck up legs, darted away from gaping mouths and piercing teeth.

Alive with a tempo of death within each stride and cut, Ichigo came to life, a warm glow flushing his skin as his eyes released a golden hue and his sclera poisoned with blackness. It was beastly and beautiful in the same breath as life and death became so closely entwined within such a small space and before long Aizen found himself lagging under the superior speed and strength of his lover, pooled with both amazement and concern at how much he had grown in the few meagre hours they had been apart for.

When the last corpse fell, Ichigo skidded to a stop and turned back to face them, raising an eyebrow amusement to Aizen who was stood there with a somewhat dumbfounded expression on his face; he walked back towards them, tiptoeing over the bodies until they were close together; he leaned up and brushed a kiss over his lips before he walked over to Stark and helped him stand up.

"Well then, now that's over, let's go." He smiled and walked towards the next door.

Aizen watched him go and smiled slowly, shaking his head before he walked after him, followed slowly by the others.

-/-

A wide smirk of vast amusement stretched over his lips as he watched them, a giggle breaking free from the depths of his throat as his eyes raked over the screen which he had clasped so tightly in his hands.

With and brief and longing stare towards the vibrantly coloured blue haired tiger who was linger at the back of the group, Szayel threw the screen aside and stood up as it hit the floor and smashed into several different pieces.

He was glad the room was warm; it allowed him the luxury of remaining as naked as he had woken in Kurotsuchi's care not long after his actual disappearance. There was something distinctively free about walking around naked.

Pausing briefly he observed Mayuri's body as it hung from the wall where he had left it, the man was much nicer when he was quiet and asleep, he would remain that way until Ichigo, and the others arrived. He would have killed him but he knew Ichigo needed answers... And of course, he knew Grimmjow would enjoy punching the man in exchange for the taking of Ilford's life.

Watching the events from the tank room had both surprised and saddened him, once he had hacked into the computers he had been able to follow the progress of the group and watch over the events of Ichigo's battle; he had never imagined that his brother might have survived the proceedings on the rooftop of the hospital. And yet despite that, watching him die for a second time had been oddly reminiscent of the past; seeing Grimmjow falling to pieces had annoying him however, considering that they were supposed to be lovers now.

He would be having words when he had finished guiding them to his location. He was tiring of the room he had spent what felt like years inside of and he wanted his freedom.

Flicking his hair over his shoulder, he settled in front of the computer again and watched their progress, now calm from his pacing he was able to concentrate again and as he did so he took another blood test from himself and ran the results, purely out of curiosity.

When the machine beeped and he took the results back out and scanned his eyes over them, sighing softly before he set them beside the six other tests he had run. There was no denying it... Something Mayuri had done had reversed the virus he had been Infected by, it wasn't cured yet but it had given him enough time to _find_ a cure.

If he could give Grimmjow and Aizen the same thing then the pressure would be taken off his back entirely and the whole thing would be a lot more fun. Hence the other reason Mayuri was still tied up on the wall and not dead. But it would be fun to kill him. Slowly. With a scalpel. Yes. Dissection was clearly the way to go.

Breathing softly as he suppressed a giggle, he manipulated their pathway again, laughing out loudly as the entire group dropped through the floor before they appeared on a different camera one floor lower yet again.

Stretching in his seat, Szayel reclined in all his naked glory and knew they were now on the home straight to find him. So he settled himself to relax, and wait. He would be patient.


End file.
